Close to Home
by Seillean
Summary: What happens when the vengeful son of a disinherited Fae Elder seeks out the very Succubus that landed him with no title or fortune? Will he really succeed in taking away all that she holds most dear? This is a continuation of Heavenly Creatures, I would suggest reading that one first to help this one make sense. Picks up directly where HC leaves off. M for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Well folks, I'm back again! There's been a little bit of interest in a continuation of my story, about enough for me to justify the fact that, truthfully, I just enjoy working with these characters.**

 **Now here comes the fun part. Unlike the last story where I knew exactly where I was headed, this time I have absolutely no idea. You guys are going to be in the driving seat for this one so throw all your ideas and suggestions at me and I'll try and incorporate some into the plot.**

 **Some of you did request a bit more Athdara/Lauren backstory. I'm glad you appreciated the character and while she won't really feature much at all in this story, I'm happy to include a few flashbacks just because I'm nice like that ;-)**

 **Hope all my lovely readers are staying with me for this one. This picks up pretty much from where we left the Epilogue.**

 **Chapter One**

 _"I can tell the difference between you and your mother y'know."_

 _The unexpected voice cut through the late-night darkness making the visitor's heart give just a little more of a jolt than pride would allow her to admit._

Lauren possessed little control over the heavy droop of eyelids that had been plaguing her since the late, summertime setting of the sun but the involuntary nod of her head and accompanying snort soon jerked her awake once more. The rocking chair on which, eight years prior, she had nursed her two beautiful children was proving far less comfortable than she remembered and she shifted against the hard crick that had at some point developed in her neck. She shivered in the midnight cool that the heat of the Summer sun had left behind in its wake and wrapped the fluffy blanket tither about her body as she smiled fondly, glancing at the two little bundles of perfection snuggled up tightly on the large double bed in which Bo had placed them earlier.

They had their moments like any other children. They threw the odd tantrum and stomped their feet when they didn't get their own way but all in all, Charlotte and Ethan were good kids. Bo and Lauren had discussed the possibility of having yet more children at one point but in truth, times were just far too dangerous and the twins were enough of a handful as it was. _'There again, when weren't their lives in mortal peril'_ She thought to herself sardonically.

But there again that wasn't _strictly_ fair. For several years, the Fae world had enjoyed a relative peace. The corrupt Council of Elders had long-since been disbanded. There was no Ash, nor Morrigan to play their pathetic chess games and society had become much more tolerant than it had ever been before.

At work, Lauren had literally been living the dream; running a joint-Fae clinic in the very heart of Toronto, treating Dark and Light alike under the same roof. Best of all, her real achievement was bringing her Sister-in-Law, Dagny, under her... _wing,_ so-to-speak,as her very own medical protégé. Originally the Valkyrie had thought of joining the 'Force like her mother but in her late teens she had started visiting Lauren at the clinic. Initially it was just any excuse to see the attractive doctor, offering to bring her lunch and mooning around the blonde's office but eventually as she grew more mature and her girlish crush over her older sister's wife dissipated, the young woman had begun to take note of the good works that Lauren ploughed herself into with little-to-no thought of her own wellbeing. Over time Dagny realised that one could be just as much of a hero in a lab coat as they could be carrying a gun. And thinking about it, what better place for a budding Valkyrie to ply her dark trade of ferrying the souls of warriors to the afterlife than a hospital where all manner of Fae had received mortal wounds? If she couldn't save them, she could still ensure their wellbeing after death.

But while her work was rewarding, Lauren had discovered that true satisfaction was to be found in the house. With Bo and their children, she finally understood all the terrible clichés about domestic bliss and happy families. In her youth, Lauren had always believed that her entire sense of self was wrapped up in her future scientific career. As much as she craved the warmth of a loving home, in her heart of hearts, she had never really thought she would ever actually find it for herself. Then through their own selfish means, the Fae had stormed in and ripped her freedom away. Suddenly, any choice over her future had been taken entirely out of her hands.

Then she met Athdara and for all too brief a time she had believed that there could be an escape for her. In their whirlwind romance, she had foolishly allowed herself to think that the Griffin would somehow whisk her and away and protect her from all things Fae. But the truth hit home with the force of a sledgehammer when Athdara abandoned her, having unsuspectingly altered the course of both of their lives irrevocably and Lauren, in her secret pregnancy, was once again manacled to her lab with even more uncompromising shackles. She had thought then that it was all over for her. The only thing keeping her iron will in-tact the variety of species she was now able to study and the eternal hope of finding a cure for her stricken girlfriend Nadia.

The guilt over how little regard she had had for the dark-curled photographer during her time with Athdara had never failed to come crashing over her whenever she thought back over the affair. The fact that she had become so infatuated with some heroic warrior straight out of an erotic fiction novel to the point where, at the Griffin's request, she would have instantly taken flight and abandoned her comatose lover to her fate. It was only with the stark clarity of afterthought that she would vow to never again contemplate surrendering her duty for a torrid liaison.

Then Bo happened. The Succubus had burst into her life with all the subtlety of a tornado and Lauren knew she was in love…and that this time there really was no going back. Even after the cure for Nadia's condition had 'miraculously' landed in her lap, in her mind there was still only Bo. Bo would have done anything for her, she knew.

She had begged Bo to slay her lover in her own arms and with it, the evil creature that tormented the poor woman's mind. The Succubus did it with barely a backward glance, unable to stand the anguish etched with painful precision in the doctor's face. The choice had been simple. Even after the trauma of that awful night, it was to Bo's arms that Lauren had run, found comfort in and her home in which she had begged sanctuary from Lachlan's deprivations.

After all they had been through in the years since, it was still Bo. It would always be Bo. And now their ever-growing little family too. In fact, as she peered through the streetlight glow filtering in through the curtains, she was just about able to discern the rather distinct characteristics of her eldest offspring.

Saoirse uncoiled gracefully from her place at the foot of the bed, morphing from her Griffin form to something that looked entirely more human; "Damnit, Mom, how'd you know it was me?" she hissed, desperately trying not to wake her two much younger, very precious siblings.

Lauren grinned her delight; "I knew your mother's Griffin very well…and my daughter is not quite the silent assassin she would like to think she is." She said, rising to her feet with outstretched arms which Saoirse gratefully stepped into with a sigh of content. "You've been watching over your brother and sister at night." She continued with just the slightest hint of rebuke in her tone but the younger woman merely shrugged.

"You asked for help."

"Hmm, I asked your mother for help. The last time I saw you, you were bracing yourself to face some god-awful trial to prove your worthiness as a warrior and that was only yesterday. Then suddenly you were here last night." She paused for a moment before smiling a tad impishly. "I hope you kicked some ass."

Saoirse beamed a daughter's pride and for just an instant Lauren thought she was looking at Athdara. She took the young woman's shoulders in her hands and squeezed the strong, warm flesh; "How is your mother anyway? Does she know you're here?"

Saoirse nodded; "Actually, you're my first assignment and she couldn't be more delighted. Not only did your clever girl pass muster but she's won her Mum's place beside the Celestial Elders. Well, on probation anyway. I wanted to come see you Mom, this problem your having with the malcontents is the reason they _let_ me come see you. You know them, all business but even the Elders know that as much trouble as they've had between you and Mom, they can see that both you and Bo are a force for good in the world. If this Christophe guy succeeds it would throw the whole Fae community into turmoil again. And…I may have had some other intel that I'm not really supposed to know. I can't say too much but it's imperative that my little brother and sister there are protected at all costs."

Lauren heaved a sigh. It was true, despite her pleasure at having her eldest child at home with her, bigger things were calling them and Saoirse's choice of words caused her no-little alarm. Still, she knew it was pointless to press further for the time being.

"Come downstairs and have some tea honey." She resolved, running her hands briskly up and down Saoirse's arms for a moment, vaguely aware of the evidence of Athdara's hard and rigorous training regime firm below her fingertips but the Griffin bit her lip.

"I'm here to protect the little ones Mom. I daren't leave their side." Lauren chuckled and turned her daughter to the less-than-optimal chair she had just vacated. _Such devotion to duty. Not sure which one of us she can thank…or blame for that one._

"Then sit and I'll bring some to you…unless there's any rule about not being under the influence of tea whilst on duty." She teased, winking at her daughter's narrowing of eyes.

She left Saoirse attempting to get comfortable on the hard, wooden chair while she headed downstairs to boil some water, stopping off in the kids' bedroom en-route, giggling as she grabbed herself a much more pliant beanbag for their long night ahead. She had no idea how long Saoirse would be remaining in their lives for and she was determined not to waste a moment of it.

 **Well, folks, just a short intro really to test the waters. Let me know your thoughts and if this is something you'd like to see continue.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys! Me again. Firstly, thanks so much to my wonderful readers that have stuck with me from HC, especially Nerdrific79, Dragonfly00, Arrasto, Akshijain and everyone else that has taken the time to review and follow- you guys are keeping my writing going so sending you all much love! Really just writing this for you guys now.**

 **Secondly, just one other thing. I am not going to continually justify my writing of this story. I am fully aware that this one is going to be a bit of a Marmite- you either love it or hate it. If you fall into the latter, that's grand, you are perfectly at liberty to stop reading and I wish you well in finding something you prefer from all the amazing writers on FF. Equally though, this doesn't mean that I need your negativity cluttering up my inbox unless it's constructive. I am sorry that having such a prevalent OC seems to have really offended some of you but hey, life is complicated. Sometimes it's downright messy and as human beings I believe we have the capacity to love multiple people in a variety of ways throughout our lifetime. Certainly, if I married someone whose previous partner had died or abandoned them I would never expect my partner to block out the significance that that person had had in their life. I think the show is partly responsible in fairness. No one bats an eyelid at the number of lovers we saw Bo with but the character of Lauren, I feel anyway, was often simply an appendage to Bo. I don't think the writers really explored who she was as a person enough which is, in its own way, a fantastic opportunity of scope for fanfic writers to get creative.**

 **Peace and love! (Think the BoLo fans might enjoy this one)**

 **Chapter Two**

Bo grinned as her little sister bounded into the kitchen and poured herself a steaming cup of fresh coffee from the pot.

"What's got you so chipper, weirdo? I'm assuming it's your stomach that has you dropping by this lunch time?"

Dagny wafted her finger in the air as a splash of scalding coffee caught her, pouting mightily as she sucked on the offended digit.

"It's lunch?" She replied with just a hint of guilt in her smile. "Anyhoo, I just saw **THE** cutest girl! Oh, my god, she just waved at me as I came through the front yard...stu-ning!" she sang.

Bo turned toward the sink, hiding her smirk. _Oh boy!_ Her sister really knew how to make life hard on herself.

"Lemme guess; dark, wavy hair, rockin' body and hazel eyes just like Lauren's?" She paused for effect, turning back around to face the younger woman and waited patiently for realisation to dawn.

"Uh…yeah. Who is she?" She asked, sliding onto one of the tall wooden bar stools lining the highly-polished black granite kitchen aisle. Bo rolled her eyes. For an intelligent woman, the Valkyrie really could be dense at times. She leaned forward confidentially, elbows resting on the counter as she clasped her hands in front of her chin.

"Who does she look like Dag?"

It took a moment…then slowly…

"Oh…wait…what?" the blonde's eyes widened as the truth finally hit home. "That's Lauren's kid out there? The one she went looking for the other day? Well, that just figures" she huffed. Bo narrowed her eyes;

"What do you mean?"

A faint touch of colour rose in Dagny's cheeks;

"Well, y'know, I might have had a bit of a crush on Athdara back in the day" she mumbled.

"I always thought you had a thing for Lauren? The way you always used to go mooning around after her like a lost pup. It was kinda cute" Bo teased. She had long-known about her sister's teenage crush on her wife and found it hilarious although admittedly her inner Succubus was glad when she had eventually grown out of it in favour of other girls more her own age…and _not related_. Dagny flushed further, the already slightly pink tinge turning redder by the second.

"Yeah, I did but I also may have had just a tiny thing for 'Dara too so I guess it figures I'd like their daughter." She said, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder in the vague direction of the front door.

After seeing the forlorn look on the young woman's face Bo finally took a bit of pity on her kid sister. She really hadn't had much luck in the love department yet and it was clear that in the five minutes it had taken her to reach the kitchen from the garden gate she had already come up with all sorts of fantasies regarding the mysterious brunette that was currently keeping her children entertained in the yard.

"Sorry kiddo, this one's just a little too close to home for comfort." She said, deliberately gentling her voice even as she ruffled the Valkyrie's blonde locks.

They remained silent for several moments, Bo allowing Dagny some time for this latest minor blow to settle.

"So umm, how's it been for you having Lauren's kid stay here?"

"Well, she's here to help and to be honest, any friendly extra pair of eyes on my little darlings right now is fine by me, Christophe's already made his intentions quite clear. But actually, I kinda like her. She's a great girl."

"You sure?" Dagny asked, reaching out a hand to Bo's forearm. "I mean, I know you two sorta hated each other. Is it not a bit weird having _her_ daughter here?" Bo sighed and quirked her lip sadly.

"Dag, I never hated Athdara. Not really. I mean, it took a while for us to see eye-to-eye but…in the end we both wanted the same thing. To protect my amazing little sister and the woman we both loved," she paused, looking Dagny straight in the eye, "Lauren's entitled to a past and God-knows, there's enough of it buried deep in that big brain of hers," she scoffed, "just as I think I know everything there is to know about her something else comes up to bite us in the ass. But I can't be angry with her for being in love with someone before. The truth is, if I'd been in her shoes back then, I'd have jumped at the idea of a knight in shining armour too. Besides, she might look a lot like her other mother but when you get to know her, there's so much of Lauren in there, it's freaky!" She smiled, briefly recalling a similar conversation she had had with Saoirse earlier that morning who had also voiced much the same concerns.

 _Bo looked up as Saoirse wobbled through the front door straight towards the kitchen where the Succubus sat, closing out her latest case files. It had been Lauren that had insisted before the twins were born that she start keeping a detailed account of all her incomings and outgoings. Bo had always despised the idea of endless reams of paperwork cluttering up their beautiful home but as the doctor had pointed out, it was no longer their own lives they had to worry about screwing up. So here she was, stabbing her pen in frustration at the typed lines of text in front of her causing big blotches of ink to spread all over the surface of the paper._

 _"Coffee? It looks like you could use some" she chuckled, turning to the fresh brew she now constantly kept on tap whenever she was at home with the kids. Saoirse blew out a lock of dark hair that had fallen over her eyes._

 _"I never realised how exhausting children could be! I was the only child I knew growing up. These kids just have boundless energy, bouncing from one thing straight to the next!"_

 _Bo smirked slyly to herself, she knew where they had gotten that from and shock-horror, it wasn't her! In a serious tone, she slid a mug over the counter to Saoirse's grateful fingers;_

 _"Wasn't that lonely? Having no other kids around to play with?"_

 _"What you've never had, you never miss" the Griffin replied simply. "I never knew kids were supposed to play and have fun. This is the first time I've ever played with children."_

 _Something about the straight-forward way Saoirse said this made Bo sad. As tough as her upbringing by her adoptive, God-fearing parents had been at times, she, herself, had at least never been short of friends to play with…or in later years go out and cause havoc with. The thought made her heart break just a little. How she had come into the world hadn't been Saoirse's fault, after all. A hush had descended as each woman sipped their coffee contemplatively, lost in their own private musings. It was Saoirse that broke the silence;_

 _"Bo, are you sure this is okay? Me being here? I…I know you and my mother didn't exactly get on."_

 _Bo stalled briefly to consider her answer, wondering just what Athdara had told her daughter._

 _"Honestly? It's true that it took a while for your mother and I to reach an understanding. Your mom is the only one who's ever broken my heart. Twice. So yeah, when your mother appeared on the scene all of a sudden, of course I was afraid that she would try to take Lauren away from me. Or worse, I was terrified that she would choose to go. But," she said, pressing a finger under the younger woman's dipped face, tilting her gaze back up to meet her eyes, "neither of them did either of those things. I am happy that you're here Saoirse. I love that you being here makes Lauren so happy. You might have more of your other mother's physical attributes but I recognise that compassion that shines out through those soulful eyes of yours very well. You are definitely my Lauren's daughter and that makes you family. I promise you, there will always be a home for you here for as long as you want it. Besides," she continued in a lighter tone, "you're already a big hit with your brother and sister!"_

 _Saoirse chuckled and rolled her eyes;_

 _"They just like having an over-sized kittycat to play with!" referring to earlier in the morning when she had shifted into her animal form and flopped about on the floor, allowing Charlotte and Ethan to take turns tickling her belly then gave them rides around the living room on her back. Bo tried to picture the twins pestering the Griffin's more dignified mother to do the same thing and had to bite her lip to hide her laughter._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That night found Bo lying in the darkness and staring up at the ceiling, watching the various shapes from the streetlights dance in patterns above her. Lauren lay still beside her, eyes closed though Bo could tell by her breathing that the doctor was not quite as asleep as she pretended to be. Slowly, she inched closer, leaning in to press a series of firm, wet kisses along the blonde's neck. Lauren offered no response other than a revealing quirk just at the corner of her mouth that Bo knew was completely involuntary. She grinned. Lauren was going to make her work for it this night and her Succubus gave a little dance of joy. The longer the encounter, the more satisfying the feed and that was just fine by her.

She continued to place teasing, fluttering kisses up to Lauren's jawline and along towards her ear where she stopped to pay due attention to that very sensitive spot just beneath the lobe. Still no response besides a slight widening of the blonde's smile, her eyes still tightly shut. Bo snickered as she raised herself up above the doctor's body, hovering over her and feeling the weight of shifting blankets on her back, leaning down to flick her tongue over that sweet corner of full lips.

It didn't take long and Lauren gave in, howling with laughter as her lips finally parted, allowing the Succubus access while her hands roamed restlessly down the dark-haired woman's sides, her thighs parting of their own accord, offering the warm cushion of her body for Bo to settle on. They tasted deeply of each other, an exchange of tongues and sighs while Bo lightly gripped Lauren's wrists and guided them up above the blonde's head, pinning them there as she left her wife's loving mouth to explore elsewhere. She knew by making the doctor submit this way, she was asking for a whole heap of trouble. Lauren _always_ gave as good as she got.

Gradually, she worked her way down her lover's body, stopping to pay loving homage to the blonde's relatively newly bountiful breasts. She had always loved Lauren's physique, appreciating the doctor's small but perfectly formed chest but like most women during pregnancy, the blonde's breasts had swollen to a much larger cup. Fortunately, at least in Bo's eyes, they had never returned to their original modest shape and Bo loved them. It did mean, however, that it took much more attention for Lauren to reach the same heights of pleasure as she had when the nerve endings had been crammed into their much smaller package but it was all good. After all, the Succubus never grew tired of worshipping the soft yet firm swells.

Eventually she dipped below the line of the blankets to where she knew Lauren needed her next. Though it was dark she traced a fingertip lightly over the twin scars that she knew graced the insides of the blonde's hips, never failing to remember the first time the pair had made love after the twins had been born.

 _Bo had done her level best to hold off, allowing Lauren as much space as she needed while her body recovered from the birth but for all her good intentions, the Succubus was starving. A couple of serious wounds from work had Bo craving Chi and the guilt finally made Lauren cave. When Bo had eventually managed to coax the reluctant doctor into bed she had been puzzled over why Lauren had suddenly become so shy over her own body, demanding that the lights be turned off and desperately shying away from Bo's loving attentions._

 _Lauren had never been a vain woman. She had always taken a pride in her appearance, sure but these were just downright ugly. Lauren felt ugly. Even with all her medical rationale, she suddenly discovered for herself why women with children were often so harsh about their own bodies. Bo, on the other hand, thought they were beautiful and proceeded to reverently kiss the two, tiny identical stretch-marks on the inner corner of each of Lauren's hip bones. Twin symbols of the wonderful gift that her wife had carried and nurtured inside of her that marked perfectly the smooth V-shape of the flat planes of Lauren's tummy, leading straight to her mons._

Ever since then, no-matter how rough, or fast, or teasing their play, Bo would always halt to pay special attention to the two fragile patches of flesh, teasing them delicately with her tongue. As a result of which, Lauren now lapped up the attention relished there, would often tangle her fingers in Bo's luscious tresses and hold her there for several minutes as she did now.

It didn't matter anymore that Lauren's hands had left their place of restraint and were now restlessly running over the brunette's head and back, stroking the shoulders firmly and urging her lover ever lower, she was all Bo's.

Bo slipped lower still and teased Lauren's thighs further apart, ready for her first taste of her wife's musky arousal but before she could reach her tongue to the blonde's lips she felt Lauren's fingers gently tugging under her jaw, urging her back upward. Carefully, Bo stalled the grumble threatening to issue from her throat as she eased back up Lauren's glistening form.

"What's wrong baby? You okay?" she whispered, schooling her voice to patience. Lauren nodded and Bo could see a vulnerability in her gaze that hadn't been there before.

"I just need you up here with me tonight." She replied, her fingers pulling Bo's mouth to hers as her free hand took the Succubus' and lowered them to her own sex where Lauren's need was readily apparent. Bo needed no further encouragement and pressed her two fingers into her lover's waiting dampness, circling her clit with her thumb even as she eased her other arm under Lauren's back, holding their bodies close as they slid hot and slick against each other. It didn't take long before she felt the doctor begin to shudder underneath her, her fingers digging into the Succubus's back as wave after wave of orgasm swept over her.

Bo chose her moment and urged Lauren's warm golden irises to meet her azure ones. Lauren took the cue and opened her mouth just enough for Bo to drink deeply of her Chi, filling herself on the blonde's energy.

Eventually the pair collapsed back onto the extra heavy-duty mattress. The look on the showroom guy's face when the two of them had insisted they needed the most heavily packed cushioning they had was priceless. The phrase "money is no object" had surely never-before been used over a mattress!

When their breathing had returned to something more normal Bo pressed a kiss to Lauren's shoulder and murmured an " _I love you"_ secretly delighted when the blonde cupped her cheek and rolled them over;

"Oh, you're nowhere near done yet honey."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Lauren had Bo turn over so that she was lying on her front then straddled the Succubus' hips before bending down to whisper teasingly in her ear;

"Close your eyes for me baby."

The succubus did as she was requested, bemused when she heard the scrape of a bedside drawer being opened. All became clear soon enough when she felt the supple sensation of silk smoothing over her closed eyelids. Then she felt her arms being stretched out in front of her and she struggled slightly against her wife's ministrations, fighting against the relinquishing of her own control.

"Shh, honey, it's okay. Trust me." Lauren soothed, dropping a kiss of comfort onto the brunette's scapula, even as she wrapped another silken tie around Bo's wrists, binding them together through a gap in the headboard. Suddenly Lauren's body heat vanished and the irrational part of Bo wondered if she'd been abandoned. Then she felt it. Something tiny and slightly rough…pebbled almost, tickling the sole of her foot. It slid delightfully between her toes then traced a path back to her heel before switching to the opposite foot.

"This little metatarsal went to market…" she heard Lauren giggling to herself as her feet jolted at the lightly prickling sensation, making her chuckle at herself. The effect of their joint laughter was relaxing and Bo felt her own body begin to slacken as Lauren moved her hands to massage Bo's calves. Up and down, up and down, long solid strokes that soothed her tired muscles. Then back to Lauren's patented playfulness as the blonde flicked her tongue against the backs of Bo's knees. It gave her a delicious little tingle and the Succubus knew Lauren had to be aware of the rising scent of her arousal.

Bo felt the end of the bed dip as Lauren crawled up over Bo's prone form then did something completely unexpected. Lauren's mouth kissed at the very tip of Bo's crevasse, her tongue flicking out to prod at the very sensitive spot where her glutes met.

Lauren had never been very keen on the idea of anal play. She knew Bo had enjoyed it with several previous lovers but somehow Lauren could never quite bring herself to go… _there._ Something about it offended her doctor's, ultra-sterile sensibilities. Placing a final kiss to that spot, leaving Bo to shudder under her touch, she continued her path up Bo's back, kneading tight muscles here and there, keeping low enough that Bo could feel the slight pressure of Lauren's breasts, her hardened nipples dragging along either side of her spine.

When she finally matched Bo's full length on the bed, Lauren stretched out and manoeuvred her arms under Bo's chest, cradling her shoulders and revelling this moment of intimacy between them, prolonging the sensation for several minutes. Bo sighed contentedly. It was never just about sex with Lauren, although…the sex was great. Phenomenal even. It was the closeness with Lauren that made it feel so special. The connection between them when they made love was unlike anything Bo had experienced with any other lover or partner. In the past, she had tried to grab onto that feeling, holding it so tightly until it threatened to suffocate them both but now, she could afford to be much more relaxed. They had been through enough together now that she knew, she _knew,_ that no-matter what they would always come back to each other. That knowledge was a powerful thing. To be treasured, yes, but never stifled.

"You okay?" The question was soft, a simple 'checking-in' but it meant the world. It meant that Lauren would always care, would never hurt Bo again. The succubus nodded.

"I trust you."

Lauren placed a final kiss on Bo's cheek and slid back down the brunette's form, stopping every few inches to trace a particular sweet spot or flick her tongue against a tasty bit of skin.

Eventually she knelt in the gap between Bo's thighs and parted them further, kneading the Succubus' buttocks with even pressure, making Bo raise her hips towards Lauren's waiting mouth.

With delicate fingers, Lauren took her time and gently parted Bo's swollen lips, tracing just the very tips over sensitive flesh. Tenderly, she eased Bo's clit from beneath its protective hood, finding it already engorged and pulsing in desire. She couldn't wait any longer. She drove straight ahead and wrapped her lips insistently around the Succubus' throbbing bundle of nerves and sucked avidly. Bo cried out and bucked hard as two of Lauren's questing fingers pressed inside of her, stroking towards that one spot that she knew required pressure the most. Bo's arousal hit a fever pitch, the Succubus more than ready to come for her skilled lover when abruptly, Lauren pulled out. Bo howled a cry and released a heart-breaking whimper.

She was only distantly aware of Lauren digging around for something to the side, then she felt it. She bore the hard length of something solid being pushed deep inside her core, felt her own wet heat coating the smooth plastic before it was just as quickly taken away again. Then she felt it again but this time it pressed firm against her rear channel. Then the sound of a small click and the object began a steady vibrating throb of its own.

Lauren returned her mouth against Bo's clit and pushed gently but steadily further until slowly, slowly, the stiff thickness of the vibrator filled Bo's rear passage. Once she was positive Bo was comfortable, Lauren slid her fingers back into Bo's slick, velvety core, feeling her inner walls begin to squeeze around her as the Succubus' orgasm threatened to overflow. The blonde caught the sound of Bo panting but she knew it wasn't for breath she craved.

Quickly, she slipped under Bo's writhing body and wrapped her legs around the brunette's waist, opening her mouth as she pulled Bo's lips to crash against her own, allowing her to feed as they moved frantically. When Bo finally succumbed, stretching out the pleasure for as long as possible, she collapsed onto Lauren, allowing the doctor to support her as they both fought for breath, their hearts nearly pounding straight from their chests.

"Ohhhh mmmmmyy Goooddd," Bo mumbled into Lauren's shoulder, "that was…that was…"

"Amazing!" Lauren agreed breathlessly.

They lay there in peaceful contentment for several moments but it wasn't long before Lauren felt Bo squirming above her.

"Umm, babe?"

Abruptly, Lauren realised the vibrator was still throbbing merrily away in Bo's behind. Far from finding it suddenly uncomfortable, Bo seemed to be thrilling still from the sensation. She reached up and undid both the loose ties around Bo's wrists and the grip she maintained with her own legs around the Succubus' waist.

"Turn over" she commanded softly.

When Bo did so, she became aware of Lauren's centre pressed tightly against her butt, picking up just enough of the vibrations to share the succubus' pleasure. The doctor resumed her thighs' grip around Bo's midriff once more and they rocked together, striving for that shared peak. Bo placed her hands either side of them both and pushed down hard into the bed, keeping their rhythm steady while Lauren reached her hands around to Bo's front. One hand switched between Bo's spectacular breasts, toying with erect nipples, squeezing and pinching. The other slipped to Bo's sex, stroking luxuriously through her wife's folds and fondling with deliberate intent.

It wasn't long before they were there, matching each other stride for stride. Bo turned her face to Lauren's and pulsed Chi back into her exhausted lover's waiting mouth.

This time the vibrator was properly switched off and set aside for a meticulous cleaning later. Much later.

Bo wearily slumped off to the side, allowing Lauren to curl up behind her, each kissing an ' _I love you'_ and finally drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

Yes. Lauren always gave as good as she got.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Neither were quite sure whether it was the great rumble of thunder or the joint screams of their children that jolted them both from bed little more than an hour later. Grabbing the nearest clothing to hand they rushed through to the guest room where the children had been sleeping soundly with Saoirse's Griffin keeping watch at the foot of the bed.

Charlotte and Ethan were thankfully in one piece but Saoirse battled against the window that had been blasted open by a violent gust of icy wind and was currently battering against its own frame, letting in a lashing rain that soaked the billowing curtains.

While Lauren checked over their children, Bo moved to the window that Saoirse had finally managed to get shut, wondering what the young woman was staring at. Just a little way into the distance, streaks of flashing lightning illuminated the shadows where fearful shapes seemed whipped about the whistling gales. Watching. Waiting.

This night was but a warning. They were coming. Soon.

 **Well folks, hope you enjoyed that. I have one or two wee ideas rattling around the old brain box but nothing solid yet so any ideas you like, feel free to ping them over to me if you want!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys!**

 **Still trying to suss my way through this story but it'll get there. Welcome to my new followers and as always thanks to Nerd'- you are my writing rock! FrenChi, it's funny you should mention that. The other day I was re-watching Series 4 after I had written that last chapter and when that scene came on I had a wee "ah ha!" moment so great shout by you!**

 **Chapter Three**

"They came to my house Dyson; don't you dare tell me to stay calm!" Bo screeched, slamming the flat of her palm thunderously on one of the sticky round bar tables in the Dàl's main lounge. "They are threatening my family and you want me to do nothing? What, is this what you're hoping for? That I lose everything and come running back into your arms?" she continued, flinging her hands about wildly in mid-air.

It was the morning after their mysterious midnight visit and it had found Bo at her local waystation, quizzing her old friend for answers but unfortunately, he was proving less than helpful, at least in her eyes.

The scruffy-faced wolf took a carefully measured breath before he allowed himself to reply. They all knew that Bo was a creature of passion who often possessed little control over her reactions. Right now, she was acting out of fear. Being frightened was anathema to the Succubus who had personally seen off more than her share of supposedly superior opponents but on the rare occasions when it did happen, her first response was to lash out at anything or anyone that was nearby. It was her (misguided) way of showing that she was still strong but he understood it well, having been guilty of the same thing himself on far too many counts. Still, it seemed that even after all these years of peace, the ingrained tradition of 'fear or be feared' was a hard one to break. However, Dyson also knew that from time to time Bo had to be reminded who the real enemy was…and that he was not in this room.

"Bo, you know that's not true, Lauren and I reached an accord a long, long time ago."

"Yeah, until she turned Fae and wrecked all your dreams of a happy ending! Admit it, you were just counting down the years 'til she upped and died on me!" she spat, leaning menacingly over him where he remained at the table in his best conciliatory pose. "Let me tell you lover boy, there ain't nothin' more unattractive that a jealous ex who just can't move on."

For an instant, the Succubus' eyes flashed, a brighter, whiter blue than Dyson could recall ever seeing before.

"Bo, you know I am very happy with Kenzi, remember? What the hell is wrong with you?"

For a moment, the cocky expression on Bo's face seemed to pause and she halted in confusion. The mention of her best friend's name felt like a bucket of ice water being poured over her and she almost appeared to come back to herself from somewhere. Abruptly Bo jumped back from the rickety wooden table top as if it burned. _Seriously though, when was this guy going to get some new stuff in here?_ She thought distractedly. As she made to leave, clearly calling this unproductive exchange to an end, her tall booted heels caught on the slightly tacky pub floorboards and her head struggled to maintain a sense of balance as the room whizzed around her. Dyson's brow creased in an uncertain frown.

"Bo, you okay?"

The succubus held up an unsteady hand;

"I'm fine, just got a little woozy I guess."

The wolf eyed her suspiciously for a moment.

"Must be the strain of the day, I imagine."

"Yeah, must be" she agreed a little breathlessly before tottering out of the bar into the waiting daylight beyond. "See you around Wolfman" she tossed carelessly over her shoulder.

Lauren glanced up from where she was busily unpacking the weekly grocery shop from behind the kitchen island when Bo finally got home an indeterminate number of hours later. Her curiosity peaked when the Succubus proceeded to slump without a word onto one of the bar stools neatly stowed beneath the countertop.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" She inquired carefully. After their many years of living and fighting side-by-side, the doctor was well-cognisant of her wife's moods. Something about the intent look in the other woman's eyes told her to approach with caution. When the Succubus eventually deigned to meet her gaze, there was something in Bo's expression that Lauren didn't quite recognise. She listened in closely with her mind, the brunette's thoughts were clouded. Unfamiliar. She couldn't quite discern Bo's instantly recognisable voice. She became aware of a picture on an agitated Bo pounding the streets of Toronto and her head buzzed with a swarm of indistinct thoughts that slipped by too fast for her to catch a hold of. She obviously hadn't hidden her scrutiny as well as she'd hoped. Bo had read the tension around the blonde's stare.

"I know what you're doing Lauren, now back off" she growled.

Shocked but not entirely undeterred, the doctor pressed on;

"I know you left the Dàl hours ago. Dyson called. He's worried about you."

"What, are you checking up on me now?" Bo snarled in an odd, predatory show of teeth.

"Honey, what's wrong? You're really starting to scare me."

The Succubus huffed, her irises flashing that same oddly bright hue that the Wolf had described over the phone and it sent a chilling shiver down the doctor's spine.

"I told you, back the fuck off!" Bo roared, immediately flying off the stool and stomping off towards the living room windows, hands thrust firmly on her hips as she breathed hard, nostrils flaring at the sheer effort. Lauren stalked across the room in fury.

"Hey! I know you're having a hard time with this… _thing,_ whatever the hell it is but I deserve better than to be spoken to like some little whore that you can abuse and toss aside. I am your wife and I am allowed to know what's going on with you! You don't take your shit out on me like that!" She came to a halt just outside Bo's personal space.

The brunette grinned sadistically and whipped around, prowling towards the doctor like a tigress stalking her prey and Lauren instinctively knew something had changed.

"Oh, bad move Lo…very bad move!" Suddenly she lunged forward, gripping Lauren by the neck, easily lifting her as though she weighed nothing while the blonde's feet dangled helplessly below, caught completely off-guard and unable to defend herself.

"Bo, honey, please just let me help you. Please sweetheart! Something is really wrong with you! Please Bo!" she squeaked frantically above the rising pressure around her throat, grasping fruitlessly at Bo's wrist. Lauren almost felt relieved when Bo finally lowered her towards the ground but then shrunk in horror as, maintaining her death grip around the blonde's neck, the Succubus pulled her close and roughly pushed her mouth against hers.

"I think you should feed me now doctor." She hissed and again, the voice that came out sounded completely unlike Bo's gentle lover's murmurings and Lauren's blood ran cold. She wasn't used to being afraid of her own wife's touch and it terrified her.

Bo let go just for a moment while Lauren dropped to her knees, reaching a hand up to her burning throat, hacking a cough and desperately trying to get air into her lungs but again Bo came at her, throwing the blonde's body back against the glass coffee table, the blonde both stunned and grateful when she didn't immediately plunge straight through on impact. Bo climbed over her thrashing form and began trying to pin her down by the wrists but this time Lauren was quicker, sending her knee hard into her wife's crotch. It didn't have quite the same satisfaction as the time she kicked the randy fifteen-year-old Tommy Spinkley in the nuts when he'd begged her for sex in the school yard but it would still do the trick.

Bo fell to the side, squeezing her thighs together at the sudden pain that lanced through her nether half but she merely grinned impishly;

"So, you do wanna play, huh, Doc?"

She swiped a high arm towards Lauren's skull which the blonde easily blocked but this only gave Bo the leverage she needed to draw forward, stretching to squeeze Lauren's cheeks tightly between her fingers, forcing the other woman's mouth to open for her.

"Baby, you're sick. I don't wanna fight you, please! I know you're in there somewhere honey, fight it…you're breaking my heart." The doctor pleaded softly. For just a second, something agonising flashed across Bo's features and her grip loosened a fraction but all too soon it was gone, her fingers solidifying the hold Bo had on her wife along with whatever it was that had a hold on her. The _thing_ sneered depravedly at her;

"I would have enjoyed taking you but if I have to just drain you dry instead, so be it." But the she paused and her face lit up as though she had just discovered gravity and she manoeuvred them closer again, her hot breath saturated Lauren's skin as she whispered sickeningly in her ear; "Not unless…uh oh…where are the kids? Upstairs? Maybe out with Auntie Dagny or big sis?" Lauren shook her head in panic, her eyes wide. "Maybe we wait…put on a little show for them huh? _Honey?"_ She said mockingly. _"Hey kids, here's what Mommy and Mommy do when they think you're all tucked up fast asleep!"_ She sang.

The creak and dull thud of the front door opening and closing went unnoticed by both women.

"Mom!"

"Mommy!"

The horrified faces of Charlotte and Ethan stood frozen next to their Aunt in the doorway.

"Dagny, get them out of here!" screamed Lauren in the brief moment of distraction.

"Bo, what the fuck are you doing?" Yelled Dagny but when the Succubus turned on her she knew it wasn't her sister she was talking to, rapidly taking note of the hand-print around her mentor's neck. Quickly, she bundled the kids out the door; "Go kids, go find Saoirse and wait by the car right now!"

"But-" Ethan objected.

"No buts, just go!" she insisted, ushering them out to the driveway and slamming the door shut behind them before facing her sister who now licked her lips lasciviously and swiftly swatted an exhausted Lauren away with the back of her hand, sending her careening into a wall unit.

"I'll finish with you later, _lover!"_

She sashayed her way over to Dagny who met her straight in the eye with an expression of pure and infinite determination.

"You are not my sister…and whoever you are, you will go no further. You will _not_ harm our children!"

"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it sweetcheeks? I kinda like being this badass" Bo mocked, curling her index finger around the Valkyrie's chin.

"Well, I guess it's now or never." Dagny muttered under her breath before her face began to darken, the eerie visage of death and destruction took hold in her features while the icy cold of doubt burned through her stare as, for the first time, she used her gifts to cast doubt over one who stood against her.

Bo staggered back for a second but seemed to rally before finally clasping her hand tight against her forehead as a hard pounding pulsed through her temples. It felt as though her very cranium was borne through with a pneumatic drill.

Meanwhile, Lauren had regained her feet and Bo was distantly aware of the sound of her lover's voice screaming at Dagny to stop, that she would hurt her if she wasn't careful.

The Succubus felt fuzzy and she blinked rapidly against the cloud that seemed to have enveloped her senses, holding up a hand wearily in protest at the onslaught of…whatever it was. Suddenly she dropped to her knees, her legs somehow unable to support her own bodyweight, _why was that?_

Immediately Lauren and Dagny had rushed to her, the doctor holding the prone Succubus lightly in her arms while Dagny curved her fingers around one of Bo's wrists, feeling for a pulse.

"Bo, honey, speak to me. Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

Bo could make out the tears threatening to spill from the corners of Lauren's eyes and wondered why she was crying.

"Mmm, I think so…I mean…yeah…no…uh…you're pretty!" she finished with a vacant smile.

Lauren glanced up at Dagny and despite herself, started to giggle absurdly;

"Wow, that was some powerful whammy you put on her. Way to go Valkyrie!"

Dagny, who couldn't quite work out whether Lauren was being sarcastic or just plain hysterical only shrugged and mumbled a short 'thanks' but Lauren shook her head and strained against her still-burning throat;

"No, I mean it Dag, your mom would be proud of you right now."

The faint glow that rose in the young woman's face was more than worth the small amount of praise. Then the two doctors turned their attention on the Succubus who was currently flopping about in a haze under Lauren's gentle grasp.

"I should go and get the kids," Dagny said quietly, "they're probably scared out their wits."

"No." Whispered Lauren. The simple word was barely audible but nonetheless firm.

"You sure, Lo?"

Lauren raised her gaze to meet squarely that of the Valkyrie's.

"They're with Saoirse. right?" She continued at Dagny's nod of confirmation. "Then they're safe. Tell her to take them somewhere for the night. I don't know what came over Bo earlier but I don't want our children around her tonight."

Dagny sighed heavily but silently agreed with the older woman's assessment.

"What about you?"

Lauren closed her eyes briefly before refocusing on her wife's stricken form.

"I'll just have to be okay, won't I?"

 **Well folks, slightly shorter update tonight, really writing this on instinct with only a rough idea as to how exactly this plot is going to unfold so as always, let me know your thoughts!**

 **P &L**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys!**

 **Well, I've thankfully now figured out exactly where this story his headed so if you're still with me then buckle up as this is going to be a bumpy ride! As always, thank you to my wonderful reviewers and a warm welcome to those hitting the follow buttons. Also, don't panic, this story is going to get dark but our Bo-Bo isn't!**

 **Ready?**

 **Chapter Four**

Once again, Lauren flipped the covers off for what felt like the millionth time that night. The last few evenings had been utter hell as she slept alone with no Bo to hold for the first time in so many years. The bed felt too large and unwelcoming, unused to feeling the patch of cold sheets beside her where her wife should have been slumbering soundly. She huffed and flopped onto her side, haphazardly straightening the rumpled blankets and rubbed exhaustedly at red-rimmed eyes where it felt as though great boulders rumbled around under the eyelids.

For the last three days, since the incident where her Succubus spouse had almost killed her, Lauren had kept Bo under a light sedation in her home lab for observation. Of course, she could have had her looked after perfectly adequately back at the clinic but Bo's care was something she would only ever trust unto herself, knowing full-well that she was also the only one Bo would ever have trusted to see her in such a vulnerable state. _In sickness and in health,_ the words rattled through her mind wryly.

It was no use. Her body was tired but her mind and spirit were wide awake, desperately running one scenario after another through that big brain of hers. With a great puff of air, she finally threw the covers off and padded downstairs to where her love lay in quiet repose. With the twins staying with Saoirse and Dagny in the little apartment above the Dàl, she hadn't bothered leaving the heating on overnight but the house was chilly with a December frost making the grass outside twinkle under the streetlamps so she grabbed a cardigan from a nearby chair and wrapped it tightly about her shoulders.

A welcome warmth greeted her as she entered her personal laboratory. Her one concession to the Winter's cold, she had left the radiators on in the basement area, not wanting Bo's body temperature to drop too far as she held her in false sleep. She smiled despite herself, the cosy heat tickling her cheeks while she turned on one or two cabinet lights, giving herself just enough illumination to not bump into anything and the subtle light cast the perfect glow over Bo's graceful features.

Looking down into the face of the woman she loved, Lauren ran gentle fingers over Bo's nose and cheeks, relishing in this rare moment where the Succubus appeared quite peaceful, with no trace of the seemingly permanent lines of worry normally etched into the other woman's expression.

Unfortunately, Lauren doubted very much that she could say the same. She had been avoiding mirrors at all costs, well aware of the dark circles staining her eyes and the one or two new wrinkles she could have happily lived without. She grinned softly as the corner of Bo's mouth twitched, the woman beginning to stir sleepily.

"Mmm, Lo?"

"Shh sweetie, go back to sleep." She murmured but edged closer until she was part-resting along the side of the bed.

"Missed you." Bo continued drowsily. Lauren knew that medically, such a thing was not possible but she would humour her nonetheless.

"I'm right here honey, I haven't gone anywhere."

"Where did I go?" the Succubus mumbled. "They took me somewhere. It was all dark and scary."

Lauren frowned, not only at Bo's words but at the childlike enunciations in the woman's speech.

"Don't make me go there again" she pleaded helplessly and the doctor's heart cracked just a little. Was this how Bo had spent much of her early years? Being hidden in the shadows? Locked away? It still sometimes hurt Lauren when she compared her mostly happy childhood with Bo's upbringing.

Lauren's parents had been loving, doting and encouraging, believing their daughter could be anything she wanted to be. Admittedly, pipe-bombing several people to their deaths had probably not been exactly what they had in mind but still, they had always been supportive of her dreams. She often wondered what heights Bo could have reached had she been given the same opportunities but then, she never wondered for too long. Bo may not have been conventionally academic, but she was everything that Lauren could find to admire in a person. She was brave, loyal, kind, fierce when she had to be and smart in ways that Lauren couldn't fathom but most importantly of all, she was a loving wife and a wonderful mother. She knew it could never had been Bo, herself, that committed those terrible actions the other day but she was stumped as to how to help her.

The attack had come at random. When she had called Dyson afterward, he described again how off Bo had seemed at the Dàl, recounting every detail of their exchange and yet Bo had seemed perfectly normal when she had left the house that morning. Chipper, even after their explosive night of passion the evening before. It didn't make any sense…and Lauren hated when things didn't make sense. It deeply offended her inner scientist.

Bo began to grow restless, her mutterings becoming more and more incoherent as she shifted around awkwardly on the narrow bed. The doctor was torn, whether to send the Succubus into a deeper sleep and hopefully a better rest, or to rouse her.

She shook her head. Drugging her further could leave her wife trapped into whatever private hell her mind had concocted up for her with no way out. Besides, the selfish part of her had been missing Bo terribly. Even just a few minutes might help ease the ache that had firmly lodged itself in her chest over the last few days.

Forgoing the use of another dose of Propofol, Lauren dragged a chair over to her lover's bedside and made herself comfortable, patiently waiting for Bo to come around in her own good time.

Sometime later, Lauren vaguely became aware of Bo's voice calling for her in the distance.

"Lauren?"

It was groggy and a bit scratchy but yes! _But how did…?_ Lauren's eyes flew open and she blinked in the dim illumination as she tried to focus on the woman in front of her. _Damn! How long was I asleep for?_ Her mind raced.

"Lo?" Bo croaked, "Why am I in the basement? How the hell did I get here? I only left, like an hour ago! Did I get clubbed round the head or something?"

The doctor frowned as she leaned over the other woman, her thumb stroking over Bo's hand that she had clasped in sleep.

"Bo, honey, what do you remember?"

"Uh,"

"Wait, hold that thought while I get you some water!" she said, hurrying over to the mini fridge tucked into one of the benches that was kept well-stocked up with a variety of sports drinks and bottles of water. Well, they had, after all, been caught short before on the odd occasion when Lauren had been working late and the doctor had been determined to never again let her medulla oblongata get in the way of a good time!

"Water? I was going to the bar for a beer, dammit!"

"Well, that was three days ago." Replied Lauren, coming back with cold drinks. "Here, sip." She said, helping Bo raise herself enough to take small steady swallows as she held the bottle to her wife's lips with her free hand.

"Three days? What, did I get like the worst hangover ever or something? I don't even remember getting there!"

"You don't remember making it to the Dàl? Talking to Dyson?"

Bo scrunched up her face, wracking her brains for memories that simply did not seem to exist.

"Nope, I left here…got in the car…then I woke up here."

Lauren remained silent for several moments and Bo watched the changing play of expressions over the blonde's careful features.

"Lo, what happened?"

"You umm…" Lauren swallowed, desperately trying to feel her way around the conversation.

"Oh no…Lauren, what did I do?"

"You weren't yourself Bo." The blonde offered tentatively.

Lauren traced back through her mind to the last time Bo had gone on a spree of acting without consciousness. She tried to keep her expression neutral for Bo's sake but the Succubus had clearly followed the blonde's train of thought.

"Wait, you don't think? Is it happening again?"

But Lauren shook her head vehemently.

"No Bo, it can't be. Even when you were at your darkest, there was still something of you in there I could recognise. You were still you at the core. This was…different. It was like there was something inside of you. You acted in ways that you never could." Her gaze sunk to the floor. She hadn't properly allowed herself to think back on the sequence of events that had taken place earlier in the week, preferring instead to remain focused on the objective of helping Bo. Deliberately losing herself in running tests and theorising, questioning, keeping those dreadful memories safely at bay. But now it threatened just below the surface. How on Earth was she supposed to tell her? How could she hurt Bo in that way?

"Lauren, what did I do?"

The following day saw Bo and Lauren walk hand-in-hand into the Dàl in defiant show of solidarity. They had talked deep into the night with Bo insisting that Lauren leave no detail spared. After both Bo and Lauren had wept their eyes dry and picked up the pieces together, they had decided to try and live life as normally as possible. The next morning, they would arrive at Dyson's, bring their children home and face whatever was coming for them as a family.

The door to the bar swung open with a squeal and both women were immediately enveloped by two bounding monsters.

"Mom! Where've you been?"

"We've missed you Mommy! Uncle Dyson's cool but this place stinks, can we come home now?"

Ethan was turning into a precocious little guy, just like Bo but Lauren couldn't find it in her heart to disagree with him as she spun him in the air, ruffling his head of messy dark curls.

"And what about you sweetpea? Ready to come home?" Bo asked Charlotte who had remained quiet in the succubus' gentle arms. The little girl searched the floor and mumbled something that Bo couldn't quite make out.

"What sweetie?" she asked softly, tucking a stray strand of honey blonde hair back behind her daughter's ear.

"Are you gonna hurt Mommy gain? I don't want you to hurt Mommy no more."

Bo swallowed hard at the lump that had risen sharply in her throat and shook her head firmly.

"No baby girl, I promise. No hurting Mommy. How could I when you two will be there to protect her, huh?"

Lauren, who had been listening intently and knew the horrific weight of guilt that her wife had been carrying like an anvil around her neck since the previous evening lightly stepped in, holding Ethan to her hip.

"Honey, it's okay. Mom was sick. She wasn't really trying to hurt me. Mommy would never hurt any of us. You know that sweetie."

"But we saw!" Interrupted Ethan. They really had to do something about this 'always having to get the last word in' habit. Lauren was never quite sure whether it was inherited from Bo or if he had picked it up from Kenzi somewhere along the way. She really did wonder about the people she entrusted with her children sometimes!

"I know Ethan. Something happened to Mom yesterday, we don't know what but now that it has, we're going to make sure that nothing happens to you or any of us again. Okay?" She said, smoothing a hand over the little man's cheek soothingly before placing a final kiss to his forehead. "Besides, big sister Saoirse and Auntie Dagny will be in the house too so I think that tonight is perfect for family hot chocolate time! What do you think Momma Bo?"

Bo grinned at her wife's incredible ability to soothe away any little hurt and nodded wholeheartedly.

"I think that is an excellent idea Momma Lo!"

Finally, Charlotte lifted her big hazel eyes and looked straight at Bo;

"Can Uncle Mark and Uncle Vex come too?"

Hot chocolate night at the Dennis-Lewis household had originally started as a way for the four of them to check in with each other and talk about anything that was bothering them. Initially it was little things like scraped knees or the annoying boy in class that kept stealing Charlotte's pencils but then when Dagny had moved back into the house she had blabbed to Dyson and Mark. Lauren's chocolate-making skills had since become legendary and now discussion ranged from the latest scores in the football season to entertaining the kids with stories of Bo's derring-do. Lauren liked to believe it was because she had scientifically discovered the perfect ratio of cocoa powder, to milk, to sugar but in reality, she knew it was just an excuse for a faemily get-together that the children could enjoy with the grown-ups.

And now, for the first time an extra setting would be placed for her eldest daughter. Saoirse sat at one end of the table, next to the empty stool that was reserved for Lauren, looking bemused but oddly content surrounded by this hodgepodge of family and friends. But still, there was something sad in her eyes. Nothing that anyone else would likely notice beneath her easy smile and light manner but Lauren knew that gaze so well. She really was the image of her mother and the blonde couldn't help but wonder where the young woman's mind really was.

The Griffin seemed to have inherited her other mother's gift of hiding the things that haunted her and Lauren had hoped that spending time here in this place of loving acceptance would help her to open up. This close-guardedness had been one of Athdara's less desirable traits and Lauren prayed that Saoirse would not become prey to it also as she became more and more of her own woman away from the ever-looming shadow of the Celestials.

Athdara had learned to be the woman she was out of necessity and Lauren understood that, she really and truly did but it didn't mean that their daughter had to suffer the same way.

Saoirse glanced up as Lauren approached her with a large steaming mug of chocolate. As she gratefully accepted the warm, syrupy substance her eyebrows creased in confusion at the white gloopy substance that seemed to have congealed over her drink. Lauren had to bite her lip to stop from giggling as her daughter uncertainly jabbed a finger into the pinkish froth but the twins had no such compunction, bursting into fits of laughter at the expression of consternation on their big sister's face at the sticky mess she was rapidly getting into.

"Honey, they're called marshmallows!" said Lauren, desperately trying to hide the laughter that bubbled up her throat, her face turning ever deeper shades of crimson as she struggled to squeak out the words; "You're supposed to drink the chocolate through it!"

Saoirse eyed her warily, not quite trusting the hilarity edging around her mother's words but nonetheless did as she was told. She took a great glug of the thick, hot liquid, before pulling the mug away to reveal the handful of half-melted marshmallows stuck to her face and nose. The table erupted, including her mother. For a moment, the Griffin looked indignant then began to chuckle herself. When she found she couldn't speak for the sweet treats sticking her lips shut she began to howl even more and the whole kitchen island descended into a bout of hysterics.

Eventually the hilarity died down and Dagny reached across the table and dabbed at Saoirse's nose and chin with a cloth, taking off the worst of it and for just an instant, Lauren thought she caught something there. A brief exchange of glances that lingered just a touch too long. She knew Dagny and Saoirse had been spending a good deal of time together and she made a mental note to ask Bo later if the Valkyrie had confided anything to her. She knew they weren't related. Not by blood anyway but she still felt a bit odd about the possibility of something between her sister-in-law and her own daughter. _God, when did I suddenly become the over-protective parent? Erm…always?_ Her little voice noted snidely.

Conversation flowed freely around the table for the rest of the evening, Vex kept the twins entertained with magic tricks and although it was mostly fairly harmless, Lauren was never quite sure whether or not she entirely approved of her children's fondness for the Mesmer.

Still, the evening was drawing late and it would soon be time for the children to head to bed, they were already flagging but it had been important to both Bo and Lauren to give the twins a sense of safety in their own home again. Judging by the tired smiles on both Charlotte and Ethan's faces, they had made the correct choice.

When it came for everyone to call it a night, Vex and Mark said their goodbyes but the twins had begged Dyson to put them to bed in that special way he had. When Charlotte and Ethan had been little and Bo & Lauren had sometimes found it hard to get them to go to bed when there was company, Dyson would shift into wolf form and lightly grab the kids by their pyjamas and trot them up the stairs. The twins thought this was hilarious and pleaded Dyson to do it whenever he stayed over late.

Bo laughed and shook her head, raising an arm as if to say _'be my guest'._ Before he got too far away though, she eased herself into his personal space while Kenzi and Lauren busily argued over the perfect percentage of chocolate in any meal and leaned into his comfortingly solid bulk confidentially;

"I know we all needed tonight but…we do really need to talk about this. I don't know what this guy is doing to me but I can't become a danger to my own family. We have to find out what he's capable of, how many followers he's gathered, what his plans are…The Dàl? Tomorrow?"

The wolf nodded;

"See you at ten."

Dyson turned away and began to crouch as his formed changed into that of a big, hairy, yellow-eyed mutt. He cantered over to Ethan who giggled and allowed Dyson to carry him towards the stairs. Everything was fine until Bo caught a glimpse of the white wolf carting away her precious son and something in her eyes changed. The colour began to drain from the Succubus' irises until they burned white-hot and her face began to shift, that same arrogant expression appearing and a deep growl issued from her throat.

"Dyson!" Lauren screeched, immediately rushing to Bo's side.

"Bo, baby, fight it! I know you can do it! Fight, Bo!"

"Bo-Bo!" Screeched Kenzi, desperately pulling at Lauren to stop her getting to close.

'Bo' hissed a grin and lunged towards Lauren but this time she was held as two solid arms slammed across her chest, pulling her away. Saoirse and Dyson dragged the Succubus back towards the French double doors that opened out onto the back garden and unceremoniously dumped her on her ass. Wails of " _Mom_ " and " _Mommy, you promised!"_ could be heard from inside the house while their mother and Auntie Kenzi tried desperately to shush them.

Whether it was the screams of her children or the Winter wind that whipped around the garden while she fruitlessly battered at Dyson and Saoirse who, between them, deflected each blow, Bo eventually seemed to come back to herself, landing, once again, flat on her backside.

Startled, she looked up between the two stricken figures that hovered over her warily.

"What the hell is happening to me?"

 **Thought I'd better knock this one out quick to clear up any confusion from the last chapter.**

 **P &L**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, well, well guys, I'm back again!**

 **As always, big thanks to all who have taken the time to hit the reviews/follow/favourite buttons, you're all wonderful! FrenChi, you're right, it's always brilliant to get feedback from new reviewers (so please feel free folks if the urge takes you!)- Joannrbb, I'm so glad you've joined us from Heavenly Creatures and that you're enjoying the stories. However, FrenChi, I'm still always just grateful for my wee community of dedicated readers, you guys are keeping me going!**

 **Dragonfly00, I think I'm going to be trying your patience over the next few chapters!**

 **Lastly, this chapter will contain flashbacks (italics) including Athdara. This was a request made by one or two people near the end of HC so please don't panic.**

 **Chapter Five**

The office was dark; the rich burgundy walls offering little in the way of reflection for the small globes of illumination given off by the mock candle lamps that dotted the room. Personally, Kostas thought that his boss possessed an overly strong flair for the dramatic but there again, very few would ever have the gall to question the man who currently lurked in the shadows behind an expansive, elaborately-carved oak desk.

The large Aloadae was no weakling, having, himself, held prominent standing with the Dark before he had rallied to de Villier's banner but even he approached Christophe with trepidation. His new master was brilliant and powerful but tempestuous. At times, irrational, he had yet to truly mature into his gifts, too hell-bent on bloodlust and familial revenge. Kostas believed, however, that with the right council, the young man still had the potential for greatness someday. _If he ever actually listened to anyone…_ he mused.

"Well, what have you Kostas?" The man asked imperiously.

"Sire," he began with a respectful nod, "your plan has taken root but it will take time; the Succubus is strong and her love of her…associates equally so. We have our best agents monitoring the situation."

"Good. The stronger her love for those around her, the greater our hold on the Unaligned one shall be." Christophe continued, easing his way around the desk to stand in front of the Giant with the deceptive grace of a dancer. He reached to stroke a finger over Kostas' cheek before smoothing his palm over the charcoal material of the fine Italian-cut suit that covered the expanse of the larger man's muscular chest. "And you dared doubt me, my friend."

Despite his admiration for the man's talents, there was always something about Christophe's mannerisms and serpent-like speech that made Kostas just a tad uneasy. He strengthened his stance, raising himself as tall as he dared in front of his employer and cleared his throat gruffly.

"Sire? I merely voiced my concerns, I meant no disrespect."

"My father died in poverty, damn you!" Christophe thundered. Kostas scrunched his brow;

"He lived in a three-bedroom villa in Rosedale."

"Exactly! We lost everything to that, that bitch! Our lands, our position…turned her back on her own kind for the sake of those mortal slaves." Then Christophe smiled wolfishly, "Be sure that you do not voice anything else that crosses your mind or you may be joining your traitorous brother in Lake Lerna. I don't pay you to think, Kostas, just for your…considerable bulk. Remember that." He said finally, casting an admiring leer.

"Sire." Kostas nodded with a final bow of respect before retreating to find company of a saner variety.

Lauren had spent the better part of an hour desperately trying to soothe two very frightened children. She had finally managed to ease them both into a fitful sleep, retreating stealthily from the spare bedroom when she bumped into Dyson, her already jangled nerves making her gasp in fright.

"Lauren, are you alright?" The Wolf asked, raising his hands to the woman's shoulders comfortingly. The doctor nodded shakily;

"Yeah, I'm okay." She replied but the Shifter took note of the shiver in the woman's body and the way she carefully avoided his gaze. He looked at her earnestly for a moment and she huffed. "Alright, so I've been better. Dyson, the children are terrified of their own mother. For the first time in years, I don't know what to do. I know that Bo would never hurt any of us but something's gotten hold of her. It's like she's not even Bo anymore and Charlotte & Ethan just can't understand."

She heaved back the sob that filled her throat, determined not to look weak in front of this man whose strength she had always tried to emulate in her own small way.

"Lauren, I think some of this is my fault too. When Bo came to me the other day I didn't take her concerns as seriously as I should have. I honestly didn't believe anyone would actually have the balls to try and touch you guys. Bo's wrath is legendary." He finished with a wry grin.

Lauren chuckled despite herself.

"Yeah. So, what do we do now?" She asked.

"We do what we do best" he grinned and Lauren eyed him sardonically.

"You hit the streets, I'll hit the books." But neither of them bothered to move quite yet. "Dyson? What would you do if you became afraid of your own wife?"

The Wolf grimaced.

"I don't know Lauren. You just have to take this one step at a time and remember that it's not Bo. You said yourself, she would never hurt you. You have to trust that she can fight this. For you. For your children."

The pair headed off in their separate directions, both too clouded by their own thoughts to notice the Succubus listening intently from the next room.

The following morning found Lauren in the basement of the Dàl, nose-deep in a stack of Trick's ancient, leather-bound tomes. At least, she _hoped_ they were all leather. One or two of them did look just a tad suspect but there again, they were caked in that much dust, who could tell?

Saoirse creaked down the stairs as quietly as possible, bringing with her sustenance in the form of coffee and muffins. The twins were back at Fae School for the last week before the Winter holidays which left both women free for research while Dagny looked after things at the clinic. Kenzi and Mark remained upstairs, supposedly 'minding the bar' while Dyson and Bo had gone out in the field, ostensibly to track down some possible leads to Bo's predicament but Lauren was under no illusions, doubtless that her wife would also be seeking out satisfaction of the head-busting variety.

Saoirse slid a frothy cappuccino under her mother's nose and Lauren could not deny the break her bloodshot eyes demanded. She was traipsing through Trick's old ledger which, yes, was highly informative but also only served to make matters more and more complicated. There was certainly plenty of evidence of the de Villiers but theirs was a complex heritage typical of any Old Money Fae family. Christophe was the end product of so many different strands of genetics that the list of his potential powers was seemingly endless. She hadn't even started on the Santos strand of his family yet! What was confusing was that she just couldn't quite work out where Christophe fitted into the family tree even though Trick's record-keeping had been utterly meticulous. Something just wasn't quite right.

"Here, have something to eat," said Saoirse, pulling out a rickety old chair for herself as she eased down next to her mother, an expression of concern etched in her fine-boned features. "You've already been at this the last three hours and it's only just gone ten o'clock! My Mom, the workaholic, huh?"

Lauren grinned ruefully.

"Yup, that's me!" She paused, observing her daughter in the peripheral while she deftly unpeeled a muffin from its wrapper, the fresh scent of zesty lemon tickling her nostrils. For a few precious moments, the only sound in the cavernous space were the warm, blissful sighs of mutual pastry-induced pleasure and the crinkling of paper before Lauren felt the need to ask something that had been troubling her; "Honey, is everything okay? I know things have been crazy since you got here and we haven't had much of a chance to talk but I'd like to think that if there were ever anything bothering you that you could tell me."

Saoirse laughed unconvincingly and Lauren frowned. The way her daughter was so obviously and sincerely trying to emulate her other mother was actually slightly painful.

"Of course, I'm okay Mom. I'm doing good."

"Sweetie," Lauren replied, looking a little sadly at the younger woman and grasping her hand that rested on the ancient table gently within her own fingers said; "you're not your mother. You don't have to pretend that everything's alright if it's not. You are my daughter," she continued, turning to look Saoirse straight in the eye, "and I will never, ever think any the less of you if you need to talk about anything or if something's getting to you. You're stuck with me." She finished with a genuine smile this time.

"Is it that obvious?" Saoirse whined.

"Hmm, maybe not to anyone else," Lauren replied playfully, "but you forget how well I know that look. It's the same look your mother used to get when she was trying to hide something from me. Only my cunning techniques of interrogation didn't work quite so well on her." She chuckled but Saoirse remained silent, staring directly into the space ahead. "You miss her, don't you?" the blonde asked quietly, stroking away an errant strand of hair that had escaped from the young Griffin's messy bun.

"I worry about her." She allowed.

"Sweetie, I know it's not the done thing where you come from and I know you're supposed to be a big, tough warrior now but I am still your Mom. Tell me."

Saoirse's throat convulsed as she fought against her own inner turmoil. She had no idea how to talk like this. Athdara hadn't really given her much instruction on how to deal with emotions other than to just plain bury them. But on the other hand, Lauren was her Mom too and Saoirse still felt that human compassion burning through her veins in a way that Athdara was unable to handle. She just didn't know what to do with it but perhaps Lauren could.

"I do miss her but…I think I miss, what she was like before, y'know? Even though I never knew her then…it's as though there was still this tiny trace of who she was but I never got close to it. I guess I just wish I'd known her back then. I'm not explaining this very well, huh?"

Lauren edged her chair closer and slid an arm over Saoirse's shoulders;

"You're doing fine sweetie."

"Sometimes I wish we were a family." The young woman admitted quietly, her gaze sinking to the floor as her face flushed scarlet. "It's stupid, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be putting all this on you. You have enough to deal with right now." She said, making a move but Lauren grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to sit down again, bringing her daughter tighter into her own body.

"C'mere sweetie," she said, "it's not stupid. At all. Okay? I knew something was wrong last night but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. You were wishing your mother was there, weren't you?"

Saoirse nodded, shame-faced and Lauren sighed. In so many ways, the Griffin was every bit the force for protection a warrior should be; strong, skilled and brave but emotionally, she was still very much a child. Not for the first time, the blonde felt the waves of guilt smack her about the head.

"I wish she could have been there but as the person you knew. The one I've heard so much about but never really gotten to know."

Saoirse's face was almost pleading and Lauren wracked her brains for anything that would help. It took a few moments but eventually the answer came to her and she settled in for a long story;

"You know the Yule Ball is coming up, right?"

"Yeah?" said Saoirse, bemused at the sudden change of subject.

"Your Mother took me once. It was not long after we first got together. I was expected to be there as ward of the Ash but Athdara, ballsy as always, insisted I be there as her date instead. We entered the hall arm-in-arm and I felt ten feet tall. The old Ash was furious." She giggled, remembering her former master's expression of utter indignation.

"We'd agreed to meet at the steps outside the Compound's main banqueting hall. I remember the look on her face when she caught sight of me waiting for her and I…remember the catch of my breath when I saw her walking towards me. It's one of my most treasured memories," she paused, watching her daughter's look of surprise; "your Mother was quite the romantic back then. I remember being worried that I wouldn't have anything appropriate to wear- my wardrobe was fairly limited back then." She explained. "So, unbeknownst to me, 'Dara had a gown made in secret for me by Arachne herself." She laughed at the sudden gape to Saoirse's jaw. "Yes, _that_ Arachne. Apparently those two went way back…"

 _Athdara glanced up the stone steps that led to the Ash's personal Grand Ballroom and caught sight of just the very top of a blonde head, the graceful sweep of spun silken strands encased in a silvery, frosted floral pin. He Griffin followed, her footfalls strangely nervous but determined. As she climbed higher and higher, more and more of the elegant silhouette that was Lauren revealed itself, encased in a sheathe of shimmering moonlight that sparkled with the glisten of a thousand stars, contrasting strikingly with a sky of fiery oranges and crimsons that were rapidly darkening to night. The Weaver had filled her task well, spinning a gown from the very essence of Artemis herself. She would owe the old woman well for this one. As she got nearer, she followed the trail of blonde twists down Lauren's shoulder to where they eventually came to a rest in the valley between her shapely, if modest breasts. She took a moment, she told herself, to appreciate the doctor's beauty but really this ages-old Griffin needed a second to slow her own heartbeat which was currently threatening to batter its way out of her chest._

 _Lauren must have sensed her arrival though for she spun on razor sharp heels and immediately grinned when her eyes lit upon her escort for the evening, her own breath becoming trapped in her throat at the vision of Athdara in her hunter's green, velvet tuxedo jacket and tightly black-clad thighs. The white shirt she wore shone as bright as her pearly teeth that gleamed through her smile and in her hand, she carried a carefully wrapped glittery black box._

 _Almost reluctantly, eager to preserve every inch of this perfect image in her mind, Athdara slowly stepped towards the blonde, reaching forward with the present she carried, not yet trusting her own voice._

 _Tenderly, Lauren took the box from the Griffin's fingers and deftly peeled away the black, sparkly wrapping revealing a corsage of triple Black Beauty roses. The blonde found it hard to formulate words as she traced trembling fingertips over the smooth, supple petals._

 _"I know it's a bit traditional but then so am I." Athdara finally found her voice._

" _I love it." Lauren said simply but the shine on her eyes told Athdara everything she needed to know and the Griffin offered her arm and led them into the feast._

 _Inside the room, a variety of shapes and colours spun through the air in a festival of merry-making. Fire-eaters blew great puffs of flame up into the ceiling from a high holly-covered archway at the entrance. A combination of music and chatter floated through the vast space while Lauren became aware of several pairs of inquisituveness eyes turning their way._

 _Athdara was gracious as ever, nodding to each guest and wishing them a 'Happy Yule'. Lauren knew fine and well that had she arrived alone, dressed as she was, several Fae would likely see her as fair game but on the Griffin's arm, she knew safety and she began to secretly thrill at their envious stares, deliberately ignoring her irritating little voice, snidely reminding her that someday she would return to Earth with an almighty bump. Little did she know that not until many years when Bo Dennis would come crashing into her life that she would fine that same sense of protection again. With Nadia, there had simply been no need for it and at that time of her life she had more than believed she was capable of handling herself. Now here she was, living in a world of superior beings who saw her as nothing more than a form currency. But not this night. Not this night._

 _They danced through the night, Athdara never once removing her arm from its place at the doctor's waist but it didn't feel possessive, merely solid and safe. Various Fae looked on with a mixture of jealousy, indignation, curiosity and disgust as Athdara rebuffed everyone else's demands for attention. There would be time for politics later. The Yule Ball was about celebration and the Griffin only had eyes for Lauren._

 _Later in the evening, Athdara had remained behind Lauren with her arms wrapped around the blonde's midriff as the watched what amounted to a most spectacular firework display. Although admittedly, 'Dara preferred to watch the way the bright colours reflected in the doctor's eyes and was not afraid to tell her so. It was the close to a perfect evening but by the end of the night both women were beginning to grow restless until Athdara whispered lightly in the blonde's ear;_

 _"Ready to go? I've been waiting all night to kiss you."_

 _Lauren only needed to nod her answer when Athdara led them to a secluded balcony and lifted them both high into the heavens, the couple looking like a silver streak against the night sky. But she didn't take them home to Lauren's apartment, instead bringing them to a rest on a tiny, deserted island somewhere in the Caribbean Sea._

"In fact, that was the night that yo-…uh…never mind!" Lauren broke off, having been so caught up in her story her filter had slipped. Saoirse stared at her Mom, agape;

"Mom, are you serious? I honestly can't imagine you two doing anything like that!"

Lauren chuckled. It was comforting to know that no matter how big they got, some things with children never changed!

"Well, times were different. Your Mother and I were different people back then." She said, looking off into the distance, a slightly wan expression in her face. "Okay, c'mon. That's enough story time for now, we have research to do." She finished resolutely, immediately ploughing back into her books, leaving Saoirse with much to think about.

"She's scared of me Dyson. They all are." Bo said quietly, scuffing the toe of her leather boot on the alleyway floor. She and Dyson had spent the entire morning harassing the local bar and business owners for the latest word on the street and boy, had they hit some dives along the way. Trudging through dank lanes that stank of unwashed bodies and various unpleasant excretions as well as the sticky, stale odours of the various 'establishments' they had visited left Bo feeling a deep desire for a hot shower…and possibly a bonfire for her clothing.

Nor had their search even really provided much new information to add to what they already knew. It was generally known that de Villiers had put a hit out on the Succubus as well as her nearest and dearest but they were either too afraid or simply didn't care enough to say any more. It was infuriating but Dyson just about understood. Many of these sorry excuses for Fae knew more than they were letting on, he could sense it but he could also smell the fear emanating from their very pores. Christophe clearly had long arms. He grunted.

"She's not afraid of you Bo."

"I heard her Dyson! I heard the two of you getting real cosy last night."

The Wolf's ears pricked at the slight change in the Succubus' tone.

"Bo." He said warningly and she took a second to breathe, forcing the bubbling rage back down to her gut again. They stalled in the alleyway while the Succubus composed herself once more. "Better?"

"Yeah" she nodded.

He observed her carefully, feeling for any outward sign of her changes in behaviour but could find nothing. To all intents and purposes, she was Bo. Yet she was not.

"Bo, listen to me," he began, taking her shoulder much as he had done with Lauren the previous night and then again with Kenzi after they had finally made it home to the Dàl- _Honestly! What was it with the women in his life!_ "Lauren is going to stick by you, no matter what. Yes, she's scared of what's happening to you but only because she loves you. None of us are ever going to leave you behind Bo. Just hold on to that."

Despite her predicament, Bo did actually feel a bit better.

Little did they know that this well-meaning piece of advice was the worst thing the shifter could have said.

"He's a Cogitatio!" burst Lauren excitedly, slamming Trick's ledger and another large book of uncertain extraction down on the Dàl's bar top, making Kenzi jump from where she perched precariously on a tall stool that was already nearly twice her height. "With a side order of Hydra."

"He's a what now?" Called Bo as she strode purposefully into the bar.

"Bo-Bo!" squealed Kenzi, the diminutive Russian bouncing over to her best friend and peering into her face. The Succubus laughed, in spite of her now being into her middling years, the feisty forty-something human was still the big kid Bo had always known. "Are you still our Bo? No weird wickey-whammy today?"

"No, Kenz. Sorry I guess you're stuck with me!" she said, flinging an arm about the other woman's neck and hugging her tightly, opting not to mention her little flare up in the alley. "Now what has my brilliant wife discovered?" she asked, sashaying up to the bar to place a big smacker on the doctor's lips which Lauren eagerly returned, perhaps a touch too enthusiastically.

"Uh, guys!" coughed Kenzi. "Kids present!" she said, pointing at Saoirse who merely grinned at their antics.

The two women broke apart, Lauren's cheeks flushing while Bo merely ruffled her best friend's hair.

"Did I ever get around to telling you how glad I am to have you back?"

"Eh, once or twice!" she shrugged.

"Ahem!" interjected Lauren, "Can I tell you what I've found?"

"Sorry Doc!" giggled Kenzi. "Please continue, oh stick-in-the-mud!"

Lauren rolled her eyes. At one time in their lives she may have taken offence at the younger woman's remarks but now they're bantering was strictly playful, something she had begrudgingly learned to love about the other woman. She warmed a little inside as she felt Bo's hand slide along her spine, smoothing lightly over her pink button-down shirt, comforted by the contact after what had amounted to a very uncertain few days, better still now that she felt she was working her way towards some answers, or at least a place to start hypothesising from.

"Christophe is Cogitatio. A reflector of people's thoughts and emotions. He can somehow reflect a person's emotions back into themselves, amplifying them somehow and causing them to essentially explode at their own inner turmoil." It suddenly struck her by the expressions on her friends faces that perhaps her over-enthusiasm was a touch misplaced but she couldn't help it. She had shifted into full-on geek mode.

"So, he's a silent assassin. A coward." Grunted Bo, too scared to come out of the shadows and face me himself. Lauren gazed up at her wife from her seat at the bar, her elbows resting on the books in front of her.

"There's more. I thought it was a bit strange when I couldn't find a direct patrilineage for him. That's because there's not. De Villiers was his mother's name. His father was Enrico Santos, he married into the more powerful de Villiers family and claimed his wife's name. Christophe is a half-nephew of King Hydra."

Dyson looked on significantly while Bo and Kenzi remained puzzled.

"Lenaeran Hydra, multi-serpent-headed beast set to guard one of the entrances to the Underworld at Lake Lerna. He was said to have been destroyed by Heracles cutting off each of the monster's heads. Clearly something survived."

 **Phew, lot of content there folks, hope you enjoyed! Story's starting to hot up now.**

 **P &L **


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys!**

 **Big thanks as always to those hitting the Review/Follow/Favourite buttons. Welcome to KK, glad to have you with us** **FrenChi, I'm very flattered, thank you for doing that. It's a great feeling when you get a few people like yourself, Nerd' and Dragon that really believe in your storytelling like that. Joannrbb, loving your insights too, rest assured that there will be happy times in the future but it'll be a bumpy road along the way.**

 **Enjoy but be prepared because things are getting dark…**

 **Chapter Six**

Lauren lay half dozing in exhausted satisfaction; skin, slick with sweat rapidly cooling beneath the duvet, her breathing having finally returned to normal. It had been obvious when they had left the Dàl earlier that evening that Bo was running on fumes and caffeine. Little wonder after the few days prior but still, when the Succubus had come to her tentatively seeking the energy boost she very much needed, the blonde had been unable to completely disguise a touch of reticence. The flash of hurt that flickered across Bo's features at her slight recoil had stung but the terror of the attack still lingered raw in Lauren's mind. The fading bruises where _it_ had grabbed her wrists, the last time Bo had put her hands on her in that way, albeit not under her own control still burned, if only just in memory.

But instead of giving up and have the two of them go to bed tired and sulking, Bo took Lauren gently in her arms and romanced her wife, soothing frayed nerves and somehow finding solace in each other. There had been no candles, no stimulating scents nor soft sounds, no tricks that would look contrived. With light steps, she danced them upstairs to a tune that only they could hear and eventually tumbled into bed.

Forgoing her own preference for mad, feverish sex, Bo took things slow, allowing Lauren's needs and desires to dictate their pace. She was sweet and kind and above all, loving; determinedly keeping her own hunger on the back burner until the very last possible moment. Now the Succubus lay beside her, a single arm wrapped loosely about the doctor's waist and looked to be in deep slumber; a silly, satiated grin still plastered across her face even in sleep.

Letting her thoughts drift, the blonde allowed herself to admit that this was perhaps exactly what they had both needed. Bo, to feed and hopefully repair the slight rift that had developed within their intimacy while Lauren relished in the reminder of just how much her partner loved her, needed her and cherished her. She had never once in all their time together, objected to Bo's need to feed from their lovemaking. In fact, she found herself grateful that she was even able to given times past when her inability to sustain her lover had made her feel totally inadequate. Still, now and then it certainly never hurt to be reminded that Bo did not simply see her as a vending machine. Albeit a very sexy vending machine.

Really, she was lucky. How many wives had the luxury of still feeling desirable to their partners after years of marriage and motherhood? Despite Bo's inherent nature and possibly occasionally wandering eye, she remained safe in the knowledge that they were still only for each other. She smiled softly, letting herself drift off contentedly to that most pleasant of thoughts.

It wasn't too long, however, before Lauren felt a familiar stirring, both within and from the space beside her. _Really, wasn't that woman ever satisfied?_ She grumbled silently. Only this time Bo's caress felt far less tender. The way the Succubus yanked and grasped at her nipple where long fingers had been resting at her breast was more cloying and nothing like Bo's expertly skilled touch. She grimaced in her only half-wakefulness and did her best to turn over, lightly batting Bo's arm away;

"Bo, honey, I'm tired" she mumbled into her pillow.

But Bo persisted, pulling roughly at Lauren's body and urging her over to face her. It was only when the blonde opened her eyes just a crack that she caught sight of that eerie glow, the sickening white glint bleeding out from Bo's normally warm, chocolate irises that made her look like some god-awful spectre. The icy frost in that strangely gleeful stare shot a frozen shiver through the doctor's bones. There would be no reaching Bo through the fog's grip this time.

"Come on now darling, must keep little wifey happy now, mustn't we?"

There was that horrid hissing, sadistic speech again and it made Lauren's stomach churn in disgust as it clamoured its way on top of her in a somewhat uncoordinated effort to pin her to the bed. The movements were disjointed and very un-Bo like. Frantically, the blonde gathered all the strength her tired state could muster and shoved hard, flipping the other woman off and over the other side of the bed, dumping her unceremoniously on her ass. The creature just howled sickeningly in delight while Lauren screeched for Saoirse and Dagny who had already raced to find her, having heard the almighty clatter. She whipped round, her own eyes wild in alarm;

"Dagny, go find the children and stay with them!" Saoirse and Dagny exchanged glances uncertainly. "Go!" She insisted, "I have Saoirse here, I'll be fine." Dagny nodded hesitantly, tapping the Griffin on the arm before diving off down the hall to check on Charlotte and Ethan while the two Lewis women turned to face 'Bo'. Lauren swallowed hard. The thought of hurting her wife was killing her but she had gone into 'Mom Mode' and dammit, she would protect her children. She knew that had their positions been reversed, Bo would do exactly the same.

The Succubus had stalled for a second, glancing between the two of them, clearly weighing up her options.

"Come on you bastard!" screamed Lauren and Saoirse gaped at her mother, as though seeing her for the first time. "You want me, you're gonna have to come over here and get me" she baited. "I am not scared of you anymore. You're just a fucking coward and I will _not_ allow you tohurt my family!" she growled like a feral cat protecting a particularly carefully crafted nest.

The other woman paused in shock at this unprecedented show of fire from the usually placid blonde. Then Bo's eyes abruptly rolled back in her head before her body collapsed to the ground like a doll tossed carelessly into a long-forgotten corner. She shook violently as a thick cloud of blackish smoke billowed forth from her mouth, hovering above the stricken trio menacingly, absurdly appearing as though it were laughing before blasting forcefully out of the bedroom window, but the shards somehow exploded inwards, showering the room with shattered glass in one last threatening gesture, making the entire house rumble beneath their feet. Then all was hushed, a sensation of oppression that none of them had even noticed before suddenly lifted from the darkened house, the only movement coming from pale curtains that fluttered spookily in the clean breeze flowing in from the chill night air.

Slowly, mother and daughter turned to each other.

"Wow Mom, that was incredible!" Saoirse exclaimed but Lauren shook her head sadly.

"That was too easy. Whoever this is obviously decided it wasn't worth the effort tonight but it'll be back. I know it will. It wants something." She sighed, flopping down to the edge of the bed and burying her head in her hands. Saoirse eased down beside her mother and slid an arm across the older woman's shoulders, pulling up a corner of the rumpled duvet with her. It was only then that Lauren realised she hadn't had the chance to cover herself up, appearing naked and vulnerable before her eldest daughter and she blushed a deep crimson; Saoirse tactfully opted not to notice. "I can't do this Saor'" she muttered into her fingers before sliding them gruffly over her face in desperation. "I can't keep exposing my children to this. I don't know what this thing wants and I don't have the space to figure it out while I'm living in fear." She glanced over her shoulder to the woman still lying unconscious on the floor. "I don't know what to do." She whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "I used to believe that nothing could ever make Bo hurt me."

"It's not her Mom, you have to remember that." Saoirse interrupted, squeezing her mother's shoulder and bringing her head close in a sideways cuddle. "She loves you so much and this thing is killing her," she paused, "Sorry, poor choice of words…but this thing is really breaking her. I don't know what she'll do if you send her away."

Lauren nodded, fighting against the hard lump on unspent emotion that seemed to have permanently lodged itself in her throat since this all began. _Globus pharyngis,_ she mused, trying to comfort herself with _something_ rational;

"I know honey but if she's not here then she won't be able to hurt us then feel even worse about it afterward. It's the ultimate catch-22." She winced against the cool air and tightened the blankets around her bare body. "I'm not going to be getting anymore sleep tonight anyway, I need to start reading up on just what exactly a Cogitatio is capable of and what effects de Villier's Hydra blood might be having on his abilities."

"I'll take her to Dyson's" Saoirse replied quietly, making a move to get up.

"Wait," said Lauren, slapping a hand onto Saoirse's knee. "I need you to tell me what you meant when you said that our children had to be protected at all costs. It's not like your bosses to take that much of an interest in two Fae children. You need to tell me everything you know."

Later that same night as Saoirse lay Bo's still lifeless body to the deck of one of the cells beneath the Dàl, making the Succubus as comfortable as possible and shackling the door closed behind her she couldn't help but wonder aloud;

"Maybe that thing really had gotten what it came for."

 **Shorter update tonight folks but this is just more of a bridging chapter to move the story on to the next chunk.**

 **Happy Holidays to all, I hope you're all having a wonderful time whichever corner of the world you hail from!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi guys!**

 **Big thank you as always to my dedicated readers and everyone who's hitting the Follow/Favourite buttons too.**

 **Kk, you were the first to review the last chapter and while humility prevents me from agreeing with you, your comment did put a huge grin on my face so thank you!**

 **Ready for the next instalment?**

 **Chapter Seven**

Lauren's head jerked for the dozenth time as for the fourth night in a row, she lay between her two dozing children. Without Bo's comforting presence, the family house had felt less and less like their safe little cocoon against the world while every night the twins cried for their other mother. For the first time since her wedding day, Lauren was at a complete loss. It wasn't like she had been keeping the Succubus from Charlotte and Ethan, far from it, but since her last encounter with the 'black fog' as they had named it, it had been by mutual agreement that Bo would stay at Dyson's where the Wolf could keep a watchful eye on her while Lauren remained with the children at home. Despite the amicability of the situation, however, this did nothing to ease the uneasy ache that plagued the three Lewis-Dennis' during the long, dark Winter nights.

Lauren had been doing her best between comforting frightened children and caring for her patients at the Clinic, to find a solution to Bo's predicament; often jolting awake when a heavy tome flopped onto her lap from where she had fallen asleep reading under the little clip-on booklight while the kids slumbered either side of her.

Saoirse and Dagny had taken upon the two of them the role of ' _watchdog'_ , each taking shifts protecting the house at night. Lauren had chuckled, thinking that resident guard dog seemed more like something suited to Dyson. Still, it did provide some measure of relief she supposed, although the young Valkyrie would bear some minding. Like Lauren herself, Dagny still opted to maintain her work at the Clinic and the toll of this extracurricular activity was beginning to show in the slight strain around her soulful eyes. The Doctor made a mental note to have a little chat with her protégé before too long.

Each night, Lauren had dug up further texts on the histories of the Cogitatio. In an abstract way, their story was actually quite fascinating, having believed to be extinct until very recently. Like the Mesmers, their kind had been hunted during the Great Purge as being deemed too powerful for their own good. Or put another way; too much of a threat to the established order. It seemed that Christophe, like Vex, was one-of-a-kind. What she couldn't figure out, though, was how exactly de Villiers was performing his tricks on her wife. She realised long ago that it had to be something to do with his abilities as a Cogitatio combined with something in his Hydra blood… _but where was the damn link?_

Exhausted, she allowed the ridiculously heavy text to drop onto her pyjama-clad thighs with a painful smack then cursed herself for being so noisy, battering the back of her head against the suede-clothed headboard and huffing in resignation, forced to submit to the point of diminishing returns. Her head lolled to the side and in the dim moonlight she could just make out the silhouettes of herself and Bo on their wedding day, memorialised forever behind glass on the nightstand. She reached down and kissed Charlotte's honeyed hair, never taking her eyes off the picture and sighed wistfully.

 _Bo, I really hope you can hear me honey 'cause I really miss you. I need you so much right now baby. Come back to us. Please? Just come back to us, Bo._

Bo sashayed her way into the main Saloon and immediately broke out into a beaming grin the instant she spotted her two troublemakers, looking as though they were driving Auntie Kenzi crazy! The pint-sized Russian threw her arms up in relief as soon as the Succubus appeared;

"Well thank god!" She cried, striding over to her best friend, "yeah, so, guess what! It turns out that educational, science-y, colouring books with lots of explanation diagrams are dull! I mean, who knew, right?"

"Uh, right. Gotta love Doctor Mom…speaking of, is my _dearly beloved_ around somewhere?" Asked Bo, glancing around the room distantly.

"Hey, you agreed to this, remember? _For dey lid-del deti, ya?_ " She replied in an overexaggerated accent, smacking her hands to the Succubus' shoulders.

"Yes, I did but it sucks!" Bo exclaimed loudly, clenching her fists mid-air.

"Oy, oy, Bo-Bo. Still with me there, cowgirl?" Kenzi replied warily, eyeing her friend for any subtle changes. It was true that while she had been staying with her and Dyson, Bo hadn't had any attacks but Kenzi wasn't about to write off the possibility either.

"Yeah, Kenz, it's still me," she puffed desolately, "I'm just pissy. Please don't tell me you're scared of me too?" she eyed her friend hopefully.

"Moi? Afraid of my lil' hot mama-yama? Pfft, puh-lease! Never in your life sweet-cheeks! I got ya. Always do." She said, slapping an arm across her best friend's shoulders and drew her over to her two rather hyperactive twins. "The Wondersnatch offspring on the other hand? Please take them back momma!"

"Dyson, your leaning over me is not helping," grumbled Lauren. "I can't work with you hovering over me like that!" The Wolf lowered his gaze to the table and backed away out of the woman's light. The doctor clearly wasn't in the right frame of mind for company. He noticed the way her brow furrowed in concentration, the way the corners of her eyes crinkled in desperate tension and lowered himself quietly into a chair opposite.

"Don't you think-" he began but Lauren immediately held up a hand to him.

"I will take a break when I've found a cure for Bo." It was said so definitely with no room for argument that Dyson allowed a silence to pervade, his strong fingers toying lightly with a few crumbling pages from a nearby book while he contemplated his next words.

"I'm cancelling the Yule Ball" he said quietly. The blonde's head snapped up, looking a little thrown by the change in topic.

"What?"

"I'm cancelling the Yule Ball." He repeated slowly.

"But, but that's tomorrow night." Lauren sputtered through the haze of ancient knowledge clouding up her mind.

"Doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does Dyson." She countered, "everyone's been looking forward to this for weeks!"

"Hey guys, what up?" Called Bo as she swung down the last few steps to the Lair, her heels clattering loudly over the stone floor.

"Dyson's cancelling Yule!" exclaimed Lauren, hoping that Bo would be just as appalled as she was.

"Wait, what? Dyson, you can't do that!" Said Bo indignantly, hoisting her hands firmly onto her hips.

"It just doesn't seem appropriate with everything that's going on right now."

"Dyson, it's exactly _because_ of everything that's going on right now that we all need a break," the Succubus broke in, "and the kids are really excited." She continued, pausing to catch Lauren's eye, the Wolf far from oblivious to the warmth exchanged in that all-too-brief gaze. "They really wanna see their best mom in her new dress."

Caught between two very formidable ( _or stubborn,_ he thought privately) women he finally grudgingly relented, raising his hands in supplication. Then he realised he'd been caught when Lauren glared at him from across the table. _Perhaps his musings had been louder than he realised_ and he shrunk ruefully back into his seat at the blonde's answering smirk.

"Okay fine but if anything goes wrong then I abnegate all responsibility. Understood?" He said, looking between the two.

"Agreed." Replied both.

"Although if you run out of booze, that's your drama" added Bo.

Very little remained of the old Ash's compound, the period immediately following the destruction of the old Light Fae grounds by Bo's mother Aoife had been too fraught with dangers of one kind or another that for a long while the remains of the old buildings had simply gone to wrack and ruin. Eventually though, when tensions had settled and a sense of normal, everyday life had returned to Faedom, the decision had been made to rebuild the ballroom, available to host any passing dignitaries or festivals like Yule, Samhain and La Shoshain. This time, however, the galas held here would be open to all, not simply those and such as those. Many of the original sumptuous features had been salvaged and now high chandeliers gleamed vibrant and new, floor to ceiling windows and mirrors shone and refracted a mystical glow and the silvery paving resonated boldly. It had been generally agreed that this corner of their heritage should not only be available to a select few but to all Faekind.

Now, Bo strolled through the landscaped gardens, passingly admiring the neatly trimmed hedge sculptures as stone fountains splashed, causing icy rivulets of water to tickle her skin while her deep burgundy silken gown with the intricately decorated velvet bodice swished about her feet. She was surprised to find herself thinking of Evony. Having said that, the perfectly manicured grounds did bear a striking resemblance to the former Morrígan's estate and the Succubus couldn't help but reluctantly admit to herself that occasionally she did miss the old witch. The woman had been evil incarnate but at least she never failed to liven things up when she was around. And she had sass by the bucket load. Bo could respect that. Then in the distance there she was and Bo had to halt by a convenient statue of a well-developed man complete with rather disappointing tackle on show. Lauren.

The Succubus fought to regain the breath that had apparently been sucked from her lungs in a great whoosh before striding purposefully over to the blonde who stood in deep conversation with a man Bo didn't recognise. She seemed to have grown by an extra foot since she had seen her the day before and her golden locks had been piled high upon her head with a variety of grips and clasps while a mint coloured muslin sheathe trailed from her neck, all the way down her back to the floor, leaving toned shoulders and sculpted arms bare to the cool night air and looking every bit the Greek Goddess in her own right. Her long fingers delicately grasped a champagne flute that sparkled exquisitely in the light from a nearby flaming cauldron, one of several casting a welcome warmth over the exposed courtyard.

"My god, I married a beautiful woman." Bo murmured behind her. The blonde spun in happy surprise at the sound of her wife's voice, flushing at the compliment in the other woman's words. The man proceeded to excuse himself politely, suddenly aware that he was no longer welcome but his good manners went largely unnoticed as he sloped off.

"Really? I could say the same. You look incredible Bo." She replied, dipping her head shyly. It had been a while since Lauren had done that, Bo noted and it made her feel acutely the distance that had developed between them over the last little while but nor could she deny a slight thrill either. It felt a bit like when they had first started dating. She thought about asking where the children were but then stopped herself before the words made it to her mouth. She knew the kids would be well taken care of by one of their well-meaning family. Just for tonight, she wanted to enjoy being part of an unstoppable couple. Bo wasn't bullish or big-headed but she knew that her and Lauren could make for two very stunning women individually. Together however, they were unstoppable. A force of nature. Raising her hand, Bo silently invited Lauren to join her inside where she led them to the dancefloor.

For the second time at a Yule Ball, Lauren was aware of a variety of startled glances and awestruck gasps being directed at her and her partner but this time it was for all the right reasons. In very un-Lauren-like fashion she once again revelled under the envious gazes of passers-by looking on as the doctor was waltzed around the room by her Succubus lover. The slowly, they all melted away, the chatter, the laughter and merry-making, even the music until there were only the two of them. She couldn't remember the last time they had connected like this. Yes, they made love regularly but at least a part of that did boil down to necessity. Tonight, was sheer indulgence. The honest joy of just being together because they could and for some unknown reason, the blonde had the ever-increasing sensation that she must burn this moment to memory from the combined scent of candlewax and her wife's perfume to the dizzying sensation of being spun around in Bo's arms safe in the knowledge that she would not fall. Something was telling her to hold on to this one tight.

Eventually dehydration caught up with them though and they left the polished-wood dancefloor hand-in-hand in favour of finding their children and sustenance although not necessarily in that order! The found Charlotte and Ethan giggling as Dyson, Saoirse and Dagny took turns spinning them high in the air to the breezy sounds of the orchestra while Kenzi dug enthusiastically into the shrimp dip.

"You guys having fun?" called Bo.

"Mom!" squealed the kids and Lauren eyed her wife sardonically.

"They've been missing you." Bo gave a lopsided smile and dashed forward to meet her two tiny rugrats before picking them both up easily, one in each arm.

"Doesn't your Momma look pretty?" She asked to which both nodded.

"So do you Mom!" yelled Ethan, right into Bo's ear. The Succubus wiggled her jaw and frowned comically while Lauren slipped over to join Dagny and Saoirse, letting Bo have some quality catch-up time with the kids.

"So, what do you think?" She asked, inserting herself between the two younger women. Saoirse smiled faintly, looking around the room;

"It's just like you described. I've never seen anything like it before. So many colours in one place." The Griffin was used to vivid colours, of course, but they had been more of the changing seasons variety. Vast landscapes awash with great swathes of gold and crisp Autumnal reds. This was like an explosion in a paint box with women in dresses of all shades while the walls were festooned with holly and berries and other symbols of Yule while through the huge windows it was still possible to glimpse the fresh snow dappled grass of what had once been a complex of buildings but had since been laid to lawn. Lauren followed Saoirse's gaze and leaned in close to murmur in her daughter's ear, pointing to various spots within the view;

"This was where I… _worked_ ," she began, choosing her words carefully, "when I met your mother. My lab used to be just on the other side of that terrace. Out the back where that gravel path leads was a walk down to a wild garden where I used to collect herbs and medicinal plants. 'Dara used to slip me away in the afternoons for walks and tell me all about your home."

At first, Saoirse didn't respond, staring thoughtfully into her glass, aware of Lauren's scrutiny beside her but not quite sure how to form the words to what she was thinking. The blonde sensed this and took the young woman's hand gently within her own.

"I'm not so sure it feels like home anymore Mom. Not now."

Lauren took a deliberately deep breath before she spoke next. She had believed for some time now that her daughter had had something she needed to get off her chest but was also aware that the Griffin was giving her the respect of their current situation. Lauren ducked to catch her eye;

"When this is all over, I promise you honey, we will talk about this. Okay?" She said, tucking an imaginary loose hair behind Saoirse's ear, taking a second to admire the brunette's perfect up-do and she glanced with a curious raised brow in Dagny's direction who merely grinned conspiratorially then shrugged as if to say _'no big deal'._

As the evening wore on, Lauren grew more and more weary, almost nodding off on one of the comfortably plush sofas that Dyson and Kenzi had found for them all to relax on., having colonised a small corner. The twins were looking a touch wabbit too so the blonde made an executive decision and lifted Charlotte up into her arms while Bo grabbed Ethan. Lauren had started to protest when Bo started leading them to her car, stating that she shouldn't have to go out of her way to drop them all off but the Succubus had silenced her confidently, telling the blonde that it was her prerogative to make sure her family got home safe. Lauren couldn't find it within herself to argue. She knew that since gaining her own inherited-Gryphon powers she was more than capable of dealing with any threat that came her way but she also had missed Bo's protectiveness. The Succubus was just so assertive in a way that the quiet, bookish scientist would never be.

The kids dozed as Bo's beloved Camaro rolled to a quiet stop outside the Dennis-Lewis residence, the brakes only squealing slightly. Silently, the two women eased around to the back and unclipped their two angels, carrying them up to bed. It didn't take much effort to ease the pair of them out of their party outfits and into pyjamas, tucking them soundly beneath the blankets. The two proud mothers smiled at each other over the heads of the children as they took turns in kissing them to sleep before heading back downstairs.

"Bo?" Said Lauren, stopping them before Bo made it to the front door. "Do you maybe wanna stay?" She asked hopefully. Bo looked at her for a moment before edging closer to run her knuckles lightly down Lauren's cheek;

"Do I want to? Yes, so much but it's not a good idea Lo. We both know I should go…before we start anything." She added impishly. Lauren flushed at the hint of suggestiveness in Bo's tone and turned the brunette's hand within her own to press her lips firmly to the other woman's palm.

"I miss you." She whispered.

"I know. I miss you too."

Without another word, Bo pulled forward and slid an arm around Lauren's waist, sidling her body to the blonde's, a sound of pleasure at the way they fit together so perfectly issuing from slightly parted lips as she kissed her.

The kiss was soft and longing, a promise of better times to come but then cut all too short when Bo pulled away, squeezing Lauren's fingers as a way of easing the severed contact.

"I love you Lo."

Then she was gone.

The following morning Bo breezed up the stairs and into the Dàl with the carefree air of a new lover;

"Good morning all!" she sang. "Where's Lauren and the kids?" she asked, stopping in mid-stride. Dyson shrugged and sipped his coffee at the bar.

"Not here. What's got you so chipper?" He replied, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Eh, nothing I guess." She said, flopping onto a bar stool and stretching to shuffle the coffee pot closer to her empty and waiting mug. Dyson rolled his eyes and picked it up, depositing a fresh brew before her which she gulped at gratefully. "You sure she's not here? She said she would be here early and that she'd be bringing the kids with her."

"Maybe she's just help," chimed Kenzi, "you know those guys take after you in the morning!" Bo clasped a hand to her ample bosom in mock horror and gasped but still, she couldn't help the tint of worry that now edged around her senses.

"I think I'm gonna go call her." She said, hopping off the stool and over to a more private corner.

The phone rang several times before the voicemail finally kicked in and Lauren's dulcet intonations could be heard instructing the caller to leave a message.

"Hey, Lo, it's me. Just wondering where you are. Umm…I'm hoping maybe you're just driving or something and that you'll be here soon. Okay? Love you. Bye."

Another hour passed as Bo grew more agitated. Dyson and Kenzi exchanged worried glances as the Succubus paced across the saloon, gripping her phone for dear life. Suddenly Bo's stilettoed steps changed direction as she grabbed her jacket and headed for the door.

"That's it. She should be here by now, I'm going over there. You two coming?"

"Right behind ya Bo-Bo!" called Kenzi as she hurried to catch up to her best friend's longer strides. Dyson sighed and tossed his bar cloth to the side and followed the two women, locking the door behind him. _When would this place ever get to turn a profit?!_

The instant Bo walked through the front door it was clear that something was very, very wrong. All over the floor were strewn papers, smashed lamps and overturned side tables.

"Lauren?"

"Doc?" Bo and Kenzi took turns calling out. Dyson sniffed at the air.

"She's not here Bo. They've gone. All of them."

As the trio stepped further into the house Kenzi stopped dead in her tracks and pointed to smashed mirror above the fireplace. Scrawled across the cracked surface in one of Bo's very own bright red lipsticks were the words;

 _'Can't catch me! Come find me Bo!"_

Dyson and Kenzi both took a hard swallow and the air about them began to swirl, whipping ice cold through their hair while paper and dust twirled through the room in a violent storm. Bo's arms were raised and her face to the Heavens as she screamed like all the Banshees in Hell, her eyes projecting a terrifying white glow;

"WHERE. IS. MY. FAMILY."

 **Well, folks, really hope you enjoyed that. Think of it as a New Year Bumper Edition! Speaking of; big thanks to all who liked/reviewed my New Year Reflections piece.**

 **I wish all of my loyal readers a very happy and peaceful New Year and I hope that 2017 brings you wonderful things.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everyone! I hope your New Years are all off to a positive start. I know these updates are maybe coming out quite thick and fast but I seem to be on a roll with my writing just now so I'll take the positives and keep going before I get another writing drought!**

 **Kk, once again you give me far too much credit m'dear but I do agree that as much as we all love Bo, sometimes she was not always the most easily sympathetic of characters.**

 **Dragonfly00, I hope I've not upset you too much! As ever with my stories, things will get much darker before they get better but remember, I always give you a positive ending so worry not my friend.**

 **As always, huge thanks to my lovely reviewers, FrenChi, Joannrbb et al, glad you're staying with me and welcome to Aussie and all those hitting the Follow/Favourite buttons. I reckon I have the best readers on FF.**

 **Ready?**

 **Chapter Eight**

Dagny shoved hard against the front door, something heavy was jamming it shut from the inside. With one final almighty push, she gave herself just enough of an opening to squeeze through provided she breathed in. She glanced around the entrance hall in utter befuddlement, clambering over what she now realised had been the hefty mahogany sideboard pressed up against the entranceway where it had obviously been tipped over with some force. Rubbish lay strewn across the hardwood flooring and soil from Lauren's beloved plants lay scattered in muddy clumps.

"Hello?" she called cautiously. "Bo? Lauren? Saoirse?" and still she received no reply. "Anyone?" she tried finally but no answering sound came. Gingerly, she picked her way through the mess, edging further and further through the hall, ears pricked and vision primed for the slightest sign of movement, friendly or otherwise.

She paused when she made it as far as the opening to the Living Room, doing her best impersonation of stealth, she peered around the doorframe only to be confronted with a very Dyson-shaped lump lying in a heap on the floor in amongst yet more household mess. Without a thought, the Valkyrie dived across the room and dropped to her knees, inspecting her scruffy-faced friend for any obvious injuries. _Airways clear, no blood…_ she rapidly ran through her list of checks; _no bones or weapons sticking out anywhere..._

"Dyson!" she cried, smacking lightly at the Wolf's cheeks and trying to shake him into wakefulness. "Dyson, c'mon, I know you can hear me, even through that thick skull!"

Eventually there came a grumble of protest as Dyson raised a hand to his temple and lifting himself onto his elbows as the mist began to clear.

"Dag, where's Bo? Kenzi!" he said, struggling to sit upright, glancing round furiously before spotting a familiar pair of stripy-socked legs sticking out from behind the kitchen island like the Wicked Witch of the East after Dorothy's house landed on her.

"Easy!" The young doctor pressed down on Dyson's shoulders as he attempted to regain his feet. "Stay there, I'll go check on her."

Dagny dodged her way over to Kenzi's side, wondering just what the hell had been going on while she had been at work but then realised she would no doubt get all the details soon enough. In the meantime, she had injured and she was first and foremost a medic.

By the time she reached her, the plucky little human had already started coming to, slurring her best friend's name incoherently;

"Bo….n-n-no…don't, don't do tha-"

"Kenzi!" said Dagny, gripping the other woman's shoulders, trying to bring her out of whatever terrible haze she seemed to be trapped in. Kenzi's eyes began rolling about in her head, her eyelids flickering just enough to show signs of a growing alertness. "I'm here Kenz, talk to me."

"Bo…Bo…" she rambled restlessly, head lolling from side to side on Dagny's arm while the Valkyrie checked her over. Like Dyson, there were no obvious wounds but the woman was definitely in shock.

"What about Bo? Kenzi? Can you tell me what happened?" She asked again gently.

"Bo got loose." Came Dyson's voice from over the Valkyrie's shoulder before he moved to kneel at Kenzi's other side, smoothing a hand over the woman's brow. "Lauren never made it to the Dàl this morning, Bo wanted to come check everything was okay. We found Lauren and the kids gone and that," he said, pointing to the large, newly cracked mirror above the mantelpiece, "waiting for us."

Dagny lifted her eyes to find the message written in Bo's 'slut red' lipstick scrawled across the polished surface. In her haste to treat her friends she hadn't even noticed it before now.

"So now Bo's gone nuclear I'm guessing?" she surmised. The Wolf nodded;

"Kenzi and I got knocked out by the blast when she hurricane-d it out of here."

"I suppose it would be stupid to ask if you know where she went then." Dagny raised a sardonic eyebrow to which Dyson's only reply was a small quirk of the lip and the private musing that the woman was becoming more and more like her mother with each passing year.

"She's stable, just a little winded, I think." She continued, turning her attention back to Kenzi who had gone quiet again since Dyson had moved to join them. "She needs rest. There may be a minor concussion but nothing serious."

"I'll take her upstairs to the spare bedroom," he said, lifting his human girlfriend easily into his arms, "in the meantime, we need to find Bo."

"Correction," she replied, "we need to find wherever Lauren and the twins are being held. That's where Bo will head. We just need to find them before she does. Where the hell is Saoirse anyway? She was supposed to be on watch."

"I don't know," said Dyson, "maybe they took her too."

Groggily, Lauren's senses began to return to her. Keeping her eyes firmly shut she slowly felt her way up through her body, trying to get a sense of her condition. Nothing really hurt too much, just a pounding headache where she guessed she must have been clubbed. Her hands were tied behind her and her hip was sore where she lay twisted on her side but overall, she didn't appear to be in too bad a shape she decided woozily.

 _Just where the hell was she? And god, she really needed to give this outfit a miss in future!_ There she was, in the same belted camel blazer, white shirt and jeans combo that she had been wearing when she had been kidnapped by Massimo years earlier; now to be referred to as the ' _captured by maniac psychos'_ outfit, she huffed.

She dared crack an eyelid, cursing herself as the sudden change in light instantly made her groan aloud. She blinked rapidly as a black-garbed figure moved blurrily closer into her field of vision.

"Well Doctor Lewisss, how nice of you to finally join ussss!" he clapped theatrically, "Isn't it Kostas?" he called to someone whom Lauren guessed was lurking in a darkened corner of…whatever this place was with its dingy walls and hard concrete flooring.

 _That voice…_ she thought… _so familiar but…wait…oh no…_

Lauren scrabbled frantically to lift herself off the floor and into a more upright posture, a poleaxe slamming into her skull at the sheer effort.

"Shh now, _Doctor,_ this just won't do" that same sickening, hissing voice mocking her again as he knelt in front of her on the floor. Unable to make out the individual characteristics of the man's face, she cringed as he came close enough for her to feel his warm breath on her cheek, the heat of his suit-clad body saturated in expensive cologne and that savage grip on her arms that still burned her in memory as he raised her roughly into a sitting position. "Trust me when I tell you that I have no interest in harming you today. _Any_ of you."

She glanced around in horror as his words sunk in. On her left, Charlotte and Ethan sat strapped back-to-back in a chair each nearby, both wide-eyed but fear-frozen into silence. To her right, she could just make out the form of her proud Griffin daughter, prone and chained to the ground, seemingly trapped her zoomorphic form, struggling against her bonds like a wild animal caged for the amusement of passing tourists. Christophe followed Lauren's gaze and smirked;

"Legend has it that the only thing that could ever capture a Unicorn was a golden chain…apparently, it works just as well on their other Celestial cousins. I can't have you and that mangy beast concocting up any fancy ideas between you now, can I?"

"What the fuck do you want?" the blonde growled to which, infuriatingly, her captor only chuckled. Not since turning Fae had she felt so powerless, so weak and she hated it.

"Isn't it obvious?" He said, rising once more to his feet, turning his back to them all and lifting his hands in the air as though he were about to conduct a symphony. "Don't tell me the great Doctor Lewis has failed to solve my little puzzle! Oh, but it's so simple!" he spun gracefully on his toes to face her again and clasped his hands in front of him. "The unaligned Succubus is going to kill you all, not I!" he informed her gleefully.

"Bo would never do that!" Said Lauren confidently. "My wife would never hurt her own family! She'd die first."

"Oh, she will, don't worry," he said mildly, "but she will destroy everything she holds most dear first." He strolled casually back towards her, allowing the words to settle in the air before squatting down directly in front her, showing off a well-rounded athleticism; "you still haven't worked out what I can do yet, have you? Have I really managed to foil that…legendary brain of yours?" He said with an almost reverent leer, running a finger down the side of Lauren's face from which she instantly recoiled in disgust.

"You're a Cogitatio with a side order of Hissing Sid!" She retorted, trying to bring them back on topic and hitting back with a little bravado of her own. If Christophe was stupid enough to suddenly start spilling all his secrets then more fool him.

"Very good. Yes, my mother was descended from King Hydra as you know but my father possessed an exceedingly rare, recessive gene of the Cogitatio species. The ability to reflect a person's fears inwards until the victim eventually drive themselves insane. What you don't know Lauren, may I call you Lauren? Is that Hydra had the ability to regenerate his own eight serpent heads as long as not all of them had been severed. Now…here's the conundrum; What would those life-giving abilities do if coupled with one's ability to seek out a person's deepest darkest fears?"

Lauren followed Christophe's lead to rapidly reach a very uncomfortable conclusion at the end of that particular trail of thought.

"You can give life to someone's fears? Make it live and breathe inside of them? So, you have been controlling her!" She said, her eyes widening in a mixture of abject horror and scientific curiosity. She remembered once saying to Bo very early in their friendship that she found the Fae endlessly fascinating. How she wished she could retract that statement now. She swallowed hard and cleared her throat; "But Bo conquered her greatest fear a long time ago. She came to accept who and what she is with the help those who love her." She said defiantly.

"You're a clever girl Lauren," he said patronisingly, "but that whole _'ooh, I'm a monster routine'_ is so last season, darling! I think you'll find that the wonderful thing about fear is that no matter how many of them you conquer, another yet bigger and stronger will _always_ rise up to take its place. Now you, sweet woman, do you have any idea what Bo's darkest fear has been since being with you?"

Lauren immediately hung her head, shame-faced. In truth, she wasn't entirely sure but she did have a vague idea what all this was leading up to. Their mutual fears were not something they had really discussed as a couple for a very long time. Lauren, more than confident in Bo's apparent invincibility, had naively chosen to believe that Bo would never scare of anything ever again after she had beaten the demons that had plagued her for most of her adult life. Clearly, she was wrong. Something had been nagging at her wife and she had had no idea, nor had she ever thought to ask. Suddenly, she felt like the ultimate marital failure.

"Your beloved is terrified that a day will come when she will not be able to protect you from some greater enemy, that one day her well of luck will run dry. Now," he crouched lower, bringing his face closer to Lauren's, "I have made you very easy to find. She will come here and the terror of being confronted with her very own worst nightmare will overload her neural pathways. In short, she will become that very creature which she fears the most. You see, I haven't been controlling her as such, merely her fear has simply been gradually consuming her, becoming its very own entity within her body. How do you think she will react when she wakes up and discovers that she, herself, has destroyed that which she holds most dear?" He finished lightly. "I did promise that I wouldn't hurt you." he grinned. "Now tell me Lauren, or should I call you Karen? Karen Beattie, right?" he continued, his lips now prickling along the shell of Lauren's ear as he whispered; "I'm curious. How does it feel to know that your love is the very thing that will kill not only your lover but your dear children too? How does it feel…to know that you have failed them all? To know that all of this was entirely preventable? Hmm? I guess _humans_ really don't change, do they? When, oh when will you learn? Karen Beattie is destructive. She is the lit fuse to the ticking time bombs that are those she loves; the Succubus, her brother, her fellow human lover…all those innocent people!" He laughed maniacally as he pulled back, thrilling in the tears that now trickled freely down the blonde's stricken features.

Saoirse, with her finely tuned hearing had picked up every word and she began to growl loudly, yanking violently against her restraints.

"Oh look, I seem to have upset your _pet._ " He said, coming over to stand above the writhing Griffin, pressing a boot into the scruff of her neck. "Shut this thing up or I will!" he spat. Lauren tilted her head and saw her daughter struggling futilely to break free in her anger. At first, she felt numb, utterly vacant, as if none of this was real, as though observing a specimen through a lens. "Shut it up!" he screamed again and this time it was enough to jolt her out of her stupor;

"Saoirse, honey, please stop, he's going to hurt you!" she tried but still the Griffin continued to bellow in fearsome protest. Lauren searched around desperately; "Stop it, please! You're scaring the children!" She screeched, noticing the way Charlotte and Ethan had grown agitated at the scene unfolding before them.

That worked. Reluctantly, Saoirse stopped struggling and flopped resignedly back to the deck in defeat.

"Ah!" Christophe smiled benignly, twirling his fingers in a 'presto' type gesture. "See how benevolent I can be when people do as they're told?" he said, lifting his foot from Saoirse's neck and making his way towards the door, wherever it led to.

"Wait!" Lauren called and Christophe stopped but did not deign to turn around. "I just want to know…why?"

The black figure shrugged.

"It's simple. She took everything from us. I'm going to take everything from her, make her live with the consequences."

Then he was gone.

Sometime later, Lauren remained crouched into the smallest ball she could squeeze her body into, gently rocking herself back and forth with her forehead pressed tight to her knees. She just couldn't stop crying. She was distantly aware of the soft wails of her children, the whining of her griffin daughter, the imminent danger of what awaited them but in that moment, she felt paralysed to do anything about any of it. Was it true? Was all this really her fault or was it all just Christophe's mind tricks?

 _'Don't you dare,'_ interrupted a voice in her head that was not her own.

"What?" she asked aloud, wild eyes darting about the ever-darkening room.

 _'Don't you dare let him get inside your head like that'_ came the same insistent voice.

Slowly, Lauren's gaze came to rest on her elder daughter who only blinked sadly. Lauren screwed her eyes shut and concentrated hard on clearing her mind.

 _'But Saoirse, what if it is my fault? He's right, I don't have the best track record. What if I did this?'_

 _'Mom, don't you get it? He's playing on your insecurities. It's his nature. Don't let him get to you. You_ _ **have**_ _to stay strong. If not for yourself then for Bo. For Charlotte and Ethan. They need you. I need you.'_

At that moment, Lauren lifted her head and peered through the gloom, sniffling back the tears resolutely.

"Are you okay over there guys?" she called.

"We're scared mommy," said Ethan.

"I know baby but everything's going to be okay"

"Promise?" came Charlotte's timid voice. God, they really were like chalk and cheese, just like herself and Bo. Ethan had been blessed with Bo's brassy confidence and a fierce protectiveness over his sister as much as he liked to tease her whereas Charlotte definitely took after Lauren with her quiet bookishness and shy nature. Lauren only hoped that with the right encouragement, the little girl would eventually blossom into her own without all the painful adjustments that she, herself, had gone through. Still, Charlotte would be raised as Fae and as at least a half-Gryphon she was rare, then coupled with Bo's rather unique heritage…well, she deserved to grow up with that pride.

"I promise sweetie. I will not let anything happen to you, okay?"

"Where's Mom?" Ethan whined, "I want Momma Bo!"

"I don't know honey," Lauren gulped, "but wherever she is I know she'll be trying to find us. I know this is really scary but why don't you guys try to close your eyes and get some sleep, okay? We could be here a while." She said, her voice beginning to crack.

"Promise you'll wake us up when Momma Bo gets here?"

'Promise' was all Lauren could manage as she blinked back yet more moisture that pooled along the rims of what she suspected were now very red, puffy eyes.

Eventually, a calm descended in that grubby warehouse. Children's whimpers faded to even breaths while Lauren allowed her mind to drift.

 _'You said you wanted to talk about some things. Looks like we have plenty of time now.'_ Said Lauren, her thoughts filtering through to Saoirse's inner ear.

 _'Not here, not like this Mom.'_

 _'Hmph, we might not get another chance!'_

 _'Don't say that! We're getting out of here no matter what…_

 _I want you to know, I'm so sorry.'_

Lauren frowned;

 _'For what hon?'_

 _'I was supposed to protect you. It was the whole reason I was sent here dammit and I couldn't even get that right!'_

 _'Now who's insecure?'_ Lauren asked dryly, _'Sweetie, there's a lot of blame to go around here but none of it is yours. He had this all planned out to the letter. He deliberately pushed Bo to the point where he knew we'd have to separate ourselves. What I can't figure out is how he did it in the first place. Everything I've read about Cogitatio suggests there has to be some direct eye contact for their reflections to work; the eyes being the windows of the soul etc. When would Bo and Christophe have even met?'_

 _'The night of the storm.'_ Said Saoirse suddenly after a mutually contemplative silence. _'You stayed to comfort the kids while Bo and I tried to get the windows shut. We both saw something reflective in the shadows but neither of us thought too much of it. Mom, all of this started after that night.'_

Lauren thought for a moment.

 _'But then how come you weren't affected?'_

 _'Fae powers don't work on Celestials. Even now, the chain he's holding me with was created of Celestial magic…although how the hell he got a hold of it, I don't know! One thing I can't get my head around though, he seems to have gone to an awful lot of effort just for a bit of revenge. Remember those words? He made a point of asking you how you thought Bo would react on learning what she had done. You don't think there's more to this?'_

 _'I'm beginning to think you're right'_ She considered quietly until a loud bang sounded from somewhere outside; _'Saoirse, I think we could be about to find out.'_

A large blast that knocked the solid industrial steel clean off its hinges ricocheted around the enclosed space while a dozen cries of pain could be heard echoing down a nearby corridor.

"Bo?"

 **Dun, dun, dun, dun, duuuuuunnnnnn! Looks like Mummy's home!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi all! As always, massive thank-you to my wonderful reviewers and followers. Kk, your comments/thoughts are always a joy to read but damn, you ain't sparing my blushes! A warm 'welcome aboard' to Swtid77 & DinahWas too, hope you both continue to enjoy. **

**I know you're all hoping that Bo's going to kick some butt in this chapter BUT…you all know me by now and you know I don't like things to be that easy. Besides, if everything got resolved in this chapter then the story would be a very short one and I don't have any new ideas yet :-D**

 **On that note, this chapter might not go exactly how you all would like so I just hope you keep on trusting me…**

 **Also, a few of you have been asking over the last couple of chapters if I am going to bring Athdara back. I have honestly not planned on bringing her in to save the day, this story requires a different hero, one we all know and love, although she will very possibly make a little cameo further down the line. I just honestly don't think including Athdara in this would be the most popular decision so unless more people start requesting an appearance, she will be staying in her wee home in the clouds! I'm just grateful that I apparently managed to create a likeable character so thank you.**

 **Chapter Nine**

Lauren sat alone at the far end of the bar staring contemplatively into the bottom of her glass, swirling the amber liquid about with her fingertips as she mulled dismally over the evening's events. The hour was late and the bar in darkness which suited her mood. Abruptly, she sighed and ran a hand roughly over her face, willing herself to snap out of this funk she had been drowning in since they had made it back, albeit far from unscathed.

Dyson, Kenzi and Dagny had tracked Bo to an abandoned mill on the old industrial harbour near Queen's Quay that had once belonged to the de Villiers family firm. Each of them had privately believed that the location was far too cliché, too easy but then on the other hand, the three of them had long ago learned to trust the Succubus' nose when it came to tracking down her Faemily.

Using only the flashlights on their phones to guide them through the endless dingy corridors, Dagny jumped at the squeak of a group of passing scurrying rats to which Kenzi rolled her eyes wearily;

"Seriously kid?"

"What?" Dagny whispered back in annoyance, "oh, you don't find a dark, creepy, rat-infested tunnel just the slightest bit spooky?"

"Believe me, Bo-Bo and I have been through worse than this before you were even a twinkle!"

"Hey!" cut in Dyson, "what is with you two? Cut it out until we find Bo."

"Sorry," offered Kenzi, "just worried, y'know. Remember what happened the last time Bo went supernova." She said, clutching tightly at Geraldine's hilt in an effort to stave off her own jittering nerves.

They paused mid-tunnel, the only noise the pitter-patter of large, hairy rodents.

"Just where in the hell is-" but before Kenzi could finish the thought, a loud, crashing thud and subsequent yell caught their ears. "Uh, that's our Bo." She said, pointing her finger to the right-hand turn of an upcoming junction.

"Bo?" screeched Lauren as her captor, Christophe de Villiers, found himself flung wildly through the air only to come crashing into the far wall in Succubus' true-to-style dramatic entrance, the heavy steel door to the makeshift prison catapulted violently from its hinges and skidding off into an unknown dark corner.

A leather-clad and imposing Bo strode purposefully through the thick smoke that now hung in the air from the blast, straight towards her target. A brilliant white glow shone brightly from her eyes while molten fury rolled off her like magma. She stalked her opponent with graceful steps but Christophe only grinned gleefully; a professor gone insane, proud of his very own Frankenstein. Lauren half-expected the man to start shouting "It's alive!" any second.

"Bo!" Lauren screamed again. "Stop! Don't do this Bo, just get us home, that's all you need to do! This is exactly what he wants, don't give in to him!"

It was unknowingly the worst thing the doctor could have done. When Bo turned to face the source of that achingly familiar voice, the vision of Lauren and the twins indelicately trussed up was all too much for her already compromised mind and exactly as Christophe had foretold, something inside snapped. Lauren could see the shift in her wife's pain-wracked features as something strange and terrible clouded over her expression. The Succubus fell to her knees, clutching at her gut like she'd been socked in the stomach.

"Bo, listen to me! We love you so much, don't do this!" she cried, clutching desperately for anything that would halt the transformation, all the while knowing it was hopeless, knowing that there was nothing either of them could do. Bo had already been half under the monster's thrall when she had exploded in. "Bo…please…" she whimpered, collapsing to her side as the tears streamed freely down her cheeks.

Christophe had regained his feet and began a generous applaud at the scene unfolding before him while Bo caught her breath, the pain that had coursed so rapidly through her body was easing, only she wasn't Bo anymore. No longer any warmth, no love in those kind orbs, only the stone-cold sorrow that was fear itself and the compulsion every living creature has; to just make it stop by any means necessary.

"Very touching, very touching doctor" clapped Christophe, "but you'll excuse me if I grow weary of the hysterics. You've lost and now you'll have to take your lumps. The least you could do is try and show some dignity at the end, no?"

"Fuck you!" she spat.

"Hmm, apparently not. Still, never mind;" he shrugged with the mildest of concern. "Bo, dear?"

Bo rose to her feet, her movements stilted and somewhat mechanical as she turned to her new master, an eyebrow quirking in response.

"Finish them off," he said, "children first. Let your lover watch as all she has created crumble before her very eyes." He offered one final sadistic smirk then made his way towards the door.

Kenzi stepped lightly over some goon laying in a pretty gruesome puddle of what she could only politely describe as "bodily fluids", a mixture of blood, plasma and who-knew what other substances. The guy had obviously been well paid with his snappy, tailored suit until he'd had half his head blown off by an angry Succubus.

"Eww!" she exclaimed, catching up to the other two and dodging bits of brain splatter dotting the already manky floor, "dang girl, that's nasty even for you!"

"Shh," said Dyson, lifting a finger to his mouth, "we're close, I can hear the doc. Something's gone wrong!"

"Uh, duh!" chorused the two women.

The three of them sprinted down the narrow passageway and in through the busted doorway to find Bo standing menacingly over a stricken Lauren, Saoirse roaring viciously beneath her bonds and Charlotte & Ethan screaming close by.

"Come to watch the final spectacle?" smirked Christophe as he swaggered towards them, seemingly completely unperturbed by this minor interruption. Instead he clicked his fingers and two more suited and booted heavies appeared behind them. Dyson instantly wolfed out and lamped Christophe about the jaw with a solid right hook while Kenzi swung her Katana into her minder's well-padded gut and Dagny wrestled with the other one who had already grabbed her into a headlock.

Dyson continued to batter away at de Villiers, knocking him further and further back into the room. Kenzi took advantage of the distraction and raced to release the twins from their restraints, ushering them into a dark corner out of the way before turning to where 'Bo' circled a distraught Lauren with intent. The doctor was still pleading with Bo to fight this thing that had taken her over, to come back to them. Then Kenzi caught sight of the Griffin chained to the floor. Reluctantly, she helped Saoirse pull free of her chains, flesh and fur coming away in great bloody clumps as she forced her limbs free but she would lick her wounds another day.

"Okay, go get her girl but don't hurt her too much, okay? We still want her in one piece." said Kenzi, patting the Griffin's lionesque head. Saoirse gave a loud grunt then dived after Bo, knocking her sideways and out of Lauren's path. She would keep to her word, treating the Succubus as Bo and not the vile creature that was hurting her mother, keeping her busy just long enough for the compact Russian to free Lauren.

It didn't take long however, until Bo was not only back on her feet but somehow getting the better of her warrior opponent. This thing was strong and it was more than time to run already.

Christophe had been subdued for the moment but it would not last. Dyson could smell the power in him. Apparently, they had all underestimated him. The Cogitatio seemed to just absorb every blow that Dyson shot his way, pounding and pounding away until his hands bruised and drops of blood seeped from his knuckles yet de Villiers showed barely a scratch and the Wolf was beginning to tire.

"Lapdog to a Succubus; so weak. Give up yet?" Christophe taunted.

Then from nowhere, a strange arm slammed across the cackling man's body, knocking him back several feet. Dyson stared confusedly at the large Mediterranean-looking man that had suddenly appeared to help him.

"Need some help?" asked the gruff voice. The Shifter nodded and the two men continued to pummel de Villiers fruitlessly until Dyson got the signal from Kenzi that she had done all she could.

The group began to back out of the warehouse, Dyson dragging Lauren out by the wrist while Kenzi and Dagny grabbed the kids.

"It's this way!" pointed the large man down a corridor where, sure enough, a pinprick of light beamed from somewhere in the distance.

"Who are you?" asked Dagny.

"My name is Kostas." Was the only answer she received as he proceeded to lead them out.

"Dyson, we can't leave her!" screamed Lauren at the rear, desperately tugging away from the Wolf's grip.

"Lauren, we can't go back for her now, it's too dangerous. We have to try again, when we have a plan. A real plan," he said, grasping her shoulders to drive the point home, "we have to get Charlotte and Ethan safe."

The blonde subsided and quietly allowed herself to be led into the daylight.

Lauren exhaled sharply as she heard Dyson's familiar footsteps come up the back staircase behind her.

"He got to me Dys." She said flatly.

"I know." he sighed, coming to a stop next to her, not quite touching but close enough just to offer a hopefully calming presence.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I just can't face going home, not just yet."

"It's fine Laur, you're welcome to stay. The twins are settled upstairs with Dagny," he replied, "you feel like telling me what went on in there?"

The blonde gave a small shrug and a barely perceptible shake of the head as she glanced at the now empty whisky glass. Dyson raised an eyebrow and topped her up with another nip.

"How about now?"

Lauren sputtered out a hollow laugh and slowly, grudgingly told him everything that had happened during her time in the de Villiers' warehouse.

"I'm so sorry Lauren." He said sadly when she had finished her story. "But you know none of it's true, right?"

"But that's just it Dyson! It's _all_ true!" she laughed mirthlessly. "This is what a Cogitation does, don't you get it? He finds your deepest, darkest truths and admittedly, turns them against you but that doesn't make them any less real. I think I need another drink." She finished after a pause but the Wolf shook his head.

"No, you need to go get some rest. We'll figure all this out tomorrow, okay?" he said, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder which she casually brushed off, trudging with tired legs to the steps that would hopefully lead her to sleepy oblivion.

"Guess you're right." She shot bitterly over her shoulder, "as always."

The following morning brought the smells of coffee, bagels and the subdued chatter of breakfast-following-disaster. As Lauren reached the bottom step, she could see Dagny eagerly pushing a pastry in Kostas' direction but the heavy-set fae appeared less than enthusiastic.

"Well, I don't care. You saved our butts, the least you deserve is fattening bacony goodness!" She stated cheerfully, brokering no room for argument. Dyson, on the other hand, looked decidedly warier.

Kostas was simply too much in the wrong place at the wrong time. Another smart suit-donning lackey like the others they had found trailing de Villiers…and he was Dark. It was true, despite all their progress, despite how far they'd all come in recent years, old resentments could still run deep no-matter how altruistic one tried to be.

"And how exactly did you come to be down there in the first place?" she heard the Wolf grunt as Lauren slipped unobtrusively onto the same high-backed stool she'd been drowning her sorrows on the previous night, grabbing the coffee pot and watching with detached amusement as Ethan clumsily tried to sneak another Danish without anyone noticing. He blushed as he caught Lauren's eye but the blonde merely smiled indulgently, recognising the same expression she had seen so many times on Bo's face when she had spotted her smuggling junk into her pristine fridge. _Bo._

The thought of Bo brought the memories of the previous thirty-six hours crashing painfully into view. So much so that she ended up tuning out most of the conversation floating about around her.

" _It's true, I was working for him." Said Kostas. "I thought I could steer him down the straight and narrow…I was wrong." He continued defeatedly. "He, umm, he took my brother. You see, he's a Hydra."_

" _Yeah, we know," interrupted Dyson, wishing the guy would just get to the point and Kenzi dug a sharp glance at him._

" _Yeah, course you do," he smiled ruefully, "Hydras are the gatekeepers of one of the entrances to the Underworld. Posted there by Hades himself. Anyway, he trapped my younger brother down there when he dared to speak out against him. He publicly denounced him at one of his own rallies when he was still trying to gather followers."_

" _Wait, I remember that!" said Dagny. "He was a good guy, your brother."_

" _Yeah, he was courageous," said Kostas, his voice turning regretful, "a better man than I. Then de Villiers 'had him removed'."_

" _Lake Lerna dried up long ago." Said Dyson._

" _True, but the Hydras have always held the secret combination needed to open the gates to the Underworld. In my naivety, I thought I could work from the inside, control Christophe from inside his own camp and somehow release my brother at the same time but it didn't work out like that. He's become a madman. Don't get me wrong, a lot of us wanted to see the Succubus swing but…what he has planned is insane."_

 _With an effort, admittedly, the Wolf deliberately ignored the man's comment about Bo and focused on the latter part of his statement._

" _What does he have planned?" he asked intently._

" _He planned on using the Succubus as a weapon. See, killing her family was only the first step. When he extracted the fear from her mind and she realised what she had done, he planned to harness her rage and use her to destroy the colony."_

" _How?" asked Dagny._

" _He plans to use her energy to raise every fae she has ever defeated in battle and use them to take the land from us. With her at the head of it."_

" _Okay! I think we're gonna need some more coffee!" exclaimed Kenzi._

Dyson gave a cursory knock on the blonde's bedroom, entering anyway to find Lauren slumped listlessly at the edge of the bed, hands dangling from where her elbows rest on her knees. The whole crew had made a team effort to get the Lewis-Dennis household back to normal.

"Hey, we're almost done if you wanna come take a look." He said gently.

"Maybe later." She replied quietly. He stepped further into the room with light steps and came to a kneel in front of her.

"Look, Lauren, I know this is hard but you need to start dealing with this. If not for yourself then for Bo. For Charlotte and Ethan. For all of us."

"Dyson, it was me that got you all into this in the first place or did you not hear a word I said last night!" she spat, flinging her hands up in the air.

"Look, I don't like this Kostas guy but he was right about one thing, de Villiers is a madman! Okay, he got inside your head. Then fight him!"

"Dyson, I don't know how!" she cried.

"I do." He said softly.

The doctor paused from that rant that teetered about her lips;

"What do you mean?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously, wondering if this was just another ploy to get her downstairs.

"Well, we've been thinking. If we can't beat him as a Cogitatio then perhaps we can still beat him as a Hydra. We just need the right kind of hero to take him down. Remember, King Hydra was defeated by Hercules severing his heads?"

"Well, I'm sorry but I am just fresh outta Heraclids! We only found that one guy by sheer luck before, they are almost impossible to track down. Mainly because most of them don't even know what they are so short of asking every human in the colony to pee in a cup I'm at a loss!"

"We don't need a Herclid, Lauren," he said patiently, "we need our very own Grecian-style hero. Like you."

"Dyson, I'm not a hero. I'm not even Greek!"

"Your name is, that's a start."

Lauren stared at him in bemusement.

"Lauren is Latin, not Greek."

"Karen," he said slowly, "comes from the Greek _Katharos._ "

"Don't you even go there," she replied harshly, getting up smartly from the bed to pace agitatedly about the room, a hand rubbing at her forehead, "don't ever mention that woman's name to me! She is dead! Why won't people get that!"

"She _is_ you Lauren!" he said, rising to meet her mid-strut. "You are her…Karen Beattie. Your bloodline may be different but you are a hero to Bo, worthy of any Greek story. And everyone deserves redemption. You can do this."

"You're the champion," she smiled sadly, "it should be you. Maybe it should have always been you." But the Wolf shook his head.

"You're Bo's champion."

A moment of silence passed between them while Dyson allowed Lauren to wrap her extensive brain around everything that had been thrown at her the last few days.

"What do I have to do?" she asked finally. He smiled;

"You have to tap into your inner strength. The warrior that runs through your veins. Surely there's someone in your family that you look up to, that's inspired you."

Lauren looked thoughtfully then retreated to her bedside cabinet, opening the top drawer and delicately lifted out something small and doubtless precious from the way she held it. When she got closer, she reached out to him with an old sepia-tinted photograph of a woman in uniform.

"My Aunt Margaret," she explained, "Auntie Meg was a suffragette. She even took part in a rally in Edinburgh back in 1909…it was led by a woman on horseback called Flora Drummond. My Aunt went through hell fighting for equal rights. They even arrested her and force fed her in prison. Then somehow, when World War One broke out she managed to put everything aside and served as a nurse as close as she could get to the front lines. Years ago, when my mother told me her story I researched her Army records and found that she'd even been bombed working on an ambulance train and despite being injured herself, she stayed to make sure her patients were evacuated before the thing blew. Then after the war she never married, she chose to go on nursing wounded veterans for the rest of her life. I was always so proud of her. In fact, she's the reason I went into medicine. I never got to meet her but I wanted to be just like her."

Dyson touched the photograph reverently;

"Do you have anything of hers that would provide a connection, a reminder of her?" Lauren nodded again and returned to the same drawer and lifted out a bow-shaped brooch. It was a simple little brass strip, dotted with tiny white, green and purple stones, the suffragette colours. It was nothing overly fancy for a piece of jewellery, Lauren herself owned a few much more elaborate items but to her it was priceless.

"Good enough." He said.

"So, what do we do?" she asked nervously but hopeful.

"We build our own army," he said, "and you rescue our Bo."

 **Well guys, I know this wasn't exactly what you wanted but I hope I'm managing to make up for any disappointment with a longer story!**

 **As always, thanks to all!**

 **P &L**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi Guys! Well this week has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster from an attempt to move away to begin a new career only to find that both the career and the move just weren't right for me after a whole year in-the-planning. So now you find me at an airport, waiting for a flight home and all I really want to do right now is to write for my wonderful readers.**

 **As always, a huge thanks to my lovely cheerleaders; Dragonfly, FrenChi, Joanrbb, KK- you guys rock!**

 **Keep on hitting those follow and favourite buttons guys, your quiet support helps me carry on writing too.**

 **Thanks for sticking with me!**

 **Chapter Ten**

The Dàl's dimly-lit lair was a hive of activity with dust-laden books covering every available surface including the floor; even the spiders shrank back into their cobwebs from the passing back-and-forth breeze of industrious bodies.

The Doctor, for her part, was just thrilled to have found purpose once again, even if the concept of being thrust into the spotlight having been bullied into the role of reluctant hero was more than a little daunting. Though Dyson remained certain that Lauren was the answer to Bo predicament but he had been less sure on how to move forward. It was all very well to examine the patterns in what amounted to not much more than ancient fairy tales but if Christophe really was using Bo to raise an army to knock them all into oblivion then she was hard-pressed to believe that only the seven of them could stand up and defeat it. Yes, they had done it in the past but even then, Bo had still somehow been reachable, if only through a combined Chi-suck. This particular David was not so confident in her ability to face her Goliath…her own wife.

Twirling her Aunt's brooch between long fingers she allowed her mind to drift, letting an endless number of possibilities, theories, hypotheses and just downright madcap schemes flick across her brain. The truth was, when Dyson had come to her the night before, he had had no real follow-through to his plan. She guessed it had just been his way of snapping her out of her self-induced funk. Kind, yes but misguided? Possibly. Yes, she believed that inside each and every one of us was something heroic; the guy who jumps in front of a speeding car to save a child, the soldier who steps off an aeroplane to strange and terrible lands but Lauren's had always been more of the fact-finding, behind-the-scenes, bookish variety. She was definitely no action star and yet here she was supposed to lead her friends into battle.

Surreptitiously, she glanced over at Dagny who had her arm around Saoirse's shoulders in a comforting hold and she frowned. She hadn't had a chance to talk to her eldest since Kenzi had freed them from the warehouse and truth be told, she had no idea how to even go about _that_ conversation. The two of them had been laid bare to the world in all their vulnerable glory by a despicable stranger in that godforsaken place. An intruder, violating what was most private and sacred. But Lauren was Saoirse's mother. She was supposed to be the strong one, a parent to whom her children could look up, no matter how big and tough they thought they were. In that moment, she had been weak in front of all her children. It was embarrassing. In fact, she couldn't help but wonder if her proud Griffin daughter actually felt embarrassed for her which was why she had barely looked her in the eye since they'd made it out of there. Was she disappointed? She knew Saoirse, herself was utterly humiliated, Lauren could see it in the flush of her daughter's cheek and ever downcast gaze. Mortified at being placed in such a compromising position by a mere Earthbound Fae.

But worse still, Lauren would never forget the fear she had witnessed and still lingered over the faces of Charlotte and Ethan. How could she ever expect them to trust in her again? She had failed as a parent. Failed in her duty to protect her own precious little children. When Bo came back to them, how could she ever face her? How could she face any of them? In years to come, would Charlotte and Ethan grow to loathe her?

Abruptly, she gave herself a shake. This was just no good and the thought suddenly struck her that this was exactly what de Villiers wanted. Was everyone else battling the demons within themselves too? Those cruel voices that haunted one in the depth of night?

"Hey, you okay?" asked Dagny gently, not wishing to startle her new friend even as she slipped an arm across Saoirse's shoulders, suddenly aware of the firm muscle and sinew of the Griffin's Traps beneath her thin, cotton sweater. _Someone so strong should never seem this defenceless,_ she thought privately. Dagny was well-used to the daily silent battle of self-confidence and self-deprecation she faced within herself. It was hard being the only Valkyrie in around, a lone voice in a crowd, often wondering if this was how her mother had felt at times. If this was the burden they were simply expected to bear; the quiet pain of one who dealt only in death.

Her work at the clinic helped and she had Bo & Lauren and her cute little niece and nephew of course. Her faemily. But it didn't stop her longing for those things herself, even knowing that as a Valkyrie she would forever be forbidden from ever knowing the love of a child of her own, just as countless generations before her. Would she destined to remain alone for eternity, caught between two worlds simply by dint of her species?

"Yeah, I'm okay, thanks. You?"

Dagny was snapped from her dark reverie by the Griffin's gravelly voice and she eyed her doubtfully.

"Really? Why do I find myself somehow not believing you, huh?"

Saoirse shrugged nonchalantly.

"I dunno, you tell me?"

"Well, you're being evasive for a start. For someone usually so direct it's a dead giveaway!" the Valkyrie grinned teasingly. "And your eyes. They just seem sad." She finished mildly. The other woman huffed, not bothering to argue further. She knew her feelings were written all over her face, it was a constant source of self-disappointment. She wished she could be as inscrutable as her mother, more enigmatic, able to hide her emotions from prying eyes and this latest episode had done nothing to reassure her. She shook her head and tried to organise her thoughts;

"I don't know what to tell you Dag, I'm all good." It was almost convincing too. _Almost._ Then Dagny did something unexpected. Out of nowhere, she began to encroach further into Saoirse's space, running the fingers of her outstretched arm along the densely-packed muscle of the Griffin's upper arm as she leaned her body into the other woman's, nuzzling her face into Saoirse's neck. It was suddenly all too much and the Griffin jerked back;

"Dagny, what do you think you're doing?"

"I- uh…" the Valkyrie stammered.

"I can't do this with you. Or anyone for that matter. I won't make the same mistakes my parents made!" She said, easing further back and placing a more comfortable distance between them.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think I was doing anything wrong," Dagny spluttered, "I just feel so easy around you, I thought it would be okay. I thought…"

Saoirse sighed and took pity on the young woman;

"No, I'm sorry," she began, "I overreacted. I just, I don't think I can afford to get close to anyone." She said, recovering a little of the space between them until they were almost side by side once again. Dagny looked at the Griffin curiously;

"You think your parents made a mistake by falling in love? I'm sorry, it's just, it sounded like that's something you've never said before."

Saoirse nodded thoughtfully;

"I guess I surprised myself with that one…but yes, I meant it, I think."

"But…if they never met, you wouldn't be here!" said Dagny, the note of protest clear. Saoirse's gaze sunk to the floor and she mumbled something barely audible. "What?" asked Dagny, reaching out to trace a tentative finger over her friend's cheek.

"I said that maybe that wouldn't have been a bad thing."

Dagny sat there stunned into silence, her mouth agape as she fought for words.

"But…you can't think that really!"

"Why not?" Saoirse bit, her head whipping round to reveal features twisted in anguish.

"I don't get it! Why are you torturing yourself over something that wasn't your fault?" she exclaimed.

"Because I never should have existed, Dag! I was borne of a union that should never have been and maybe that's why I'm such a bloody disappointment!"

For the second time in as many minutes, the Valkyrie could only stare incomprehensively.

"I had one job to do, Dagny. One task the elders charged me with. To protect Charlotte and Ethan whatever the cost and I couldn't even get that right. Then that bastard got inside my Mother's head and I did nothing! I failed, Dag." She trailed off miserably. Dagny was at a loss for words. From what little she knew of the Griffin; this defeatist attitude just wasn't her and the young Valkyrie began to wonder if any of the others were noticing any weird thoughts or feelings.

"Well, I don't know what I can say to make you feel better lady but you do have a friend, _whether you want one or not,"_ she added impishly, "and for what it's worth, I don't think this is you talking. Or any of us!" She announced, standing to address the room; "anyone else here getting trapped in a spiral? Any strange thoughts? Feeling randomly depressed?"

The nervous glances being cast about the room gave the answer without the need for any further words.

"It's him." Said Dyson. "You think he's doing this?" he said, turning to Kostas who was currently sat behind an old Davenport-style desk jammed into a tight corner where the Wolf could keep a close watch on him. Kostas shrugged unconcernedly;

"It's what he does. Doesn't affect me," he said with a slight touch of smugness, "been around him too long now." He finished a little distastefully. He grunted and turned to the group; "He gets into people's heads and finds their weak spots then leaves 'em to self-destruct. Just being with him yesterday in the same space was enough to give you all a taste of his power. You wanna beat him, you have to purge yourselves of all doubt. All your fears, *poof*" he finished, make a _presto_ motion with his hands.

"Uh, you couldn't have just told us all this before, huh, big guy?" Kenzi retorted from another table on the Dyson's other side.

"You never asked." Said Kostas simply and Dyson had to fight the urge to smack him one but then his face lit up in recognition.

"Wait, that's it! That's the answer!"

Somewhere on the other side of town Bo opened her eyes to find only darkness surrounding her like an oppressive yet somehow comforting quilt. The soft patchwork kind that you could just snuggle down into never to emerge again until the big, bad world got better again. Until she suddenly noticed that her wrists had been tightly shackled to a hard, stone surface that sent a freezing chill up through her body, bringing her out in goose-bumps that prickled under her satin shirt.

"Hey, hello!" she shouted, thinking that perhaps she had had another episode and one of her friends had placed her in one of the cells beneath the Dàl but then that didn't explain why everything was so dark. "Dyson?" she tried again but her only response was a disembodied laughter that seem to float through the air above, curling about her invasively like she was in one of those smoky blues bars back home in the Mid-West. There was just something so… _obscene_ about that laugh in a way that made even the Succubus' skin crawl.

"Dyson isn't here my dear! You're all alone." The voice said in mock sympathy.

"And just who the hell are you buddy? Huh? Someone who's too much of a coward to just come out here and face me obviously!"

And there he was. She could only make out his pale, sneering face and a pair of unnaturally long hands that seemed to luminesce sickeningly in the blackness as he sashayed towards her, coming to a kneel just slightly out her reach.

"Oh, tut-tut, Bo, such language!" he said with mild reproach. "And you know, I am just a little hurt that you don't remember! Oh well, I guess you're not really as powerful as they say." He shrugged.

"Remember what?" she spat.

"Well, what you did, Bo. Oh, you were such a naughty girl, it was wonderful, wonderful to watch!" he said, clapping his hands energetically. His words gave Bo pause and she eyed him cautiously;

"What are you talking about?" a nervous bile rising at the back of her throat, suddenly making her feel nauseous. Christophe grinned in amusement;

"Well, your friends. Your 'faemily'," he said dismissively, making little air quotes with his fingers, "so quaint. Why, you killed them all, dear." Bo's face scrunched in consternation, shaking her head from side to side, her brain refusing to accept it;

"No, I couldn't have…I'd never…"

"But you did. And now you really are all alone Bo. You made them all go away," he said, pulling a sad face like she had just dropped her ice cream at the fayre. "I'll leave you in peace to have a think." He said finally, rising once more to his feet and vanishing as unobtrusively as he had appeared. Meanwhile Bo only continued to stare into the consuming darkness. She refused to believe, she would not accept that she could ever…yet something in his words pulled at her. The iron shackles bit into the soft flesh of her wrists as she twisted painfully in her restraints, her body writhing and contracting and she desperately tried not to wail out loud;

"No…no…I couldn't…No!" She screamed.

Then the holding cell burned white.

 **Shorter chapter tonight folks. Kinda struggled to get this one out but hope you're still enjoying this crazy ride!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again; I really do have the best readers on FF. Thanks for your lovely messages guys- they really got me smiling on my bad days. I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to update this story. I've had a really tough few months and haven't felt like writing. Anyway, I'll update Road Trip soon hopefully but I know a few of you have been waiting patiently for me to get moving again with CtH so here it is. There is a cameo in this chapter that some of you are not going to like but I stress the word** _ **cameo**_ **and it's helped me move the story along. As always folks, thanks for sticking with me!**

 **Chapter Eleven**

Dark, dark everywhere. The whole world had gone dark, in fact. It was the only truth that Bo Dennis knew as she languished in that lunatic's prison. Yet just that one certainty still brought its own strange comfort and Bo prayed that this endless night would soon swallow her whole.

Had Christophe really been telling her the truth? Had her deepest and most secret fear truly come to pass? Could she really have done…?

It was too unthinkable to bear. And yet here she remained, an endless cycle of terror within her own mind driving her slowly insane.

Were those fearful creatures whipping past her ears in the eerie blackness or were they yet more figments of her own tortured imagination? She could barely find the energy to care anymore. Her mind would swing rapidly back and forth between the great gaping ache of desolation and a cool, almost pleasant numbness.

Oh, what was the use?

She eased her tired body back against the hard, stone-cold surface behind her, a pair of iron cuffs tearing at her wrists with each subtle movement. Her eyes slid closed while she waited patiently for the next wave of detachment to kick in.

Bo Dennis, Succubus and Queen, was giving up.

XXX

Kenzi clasped Dyson's hand to her right and Kostas', their new _associate_ , to her left as she glanced around their rough, rag-tag circle.

"So, what's next guys? A rousing chorus of _Kum-Ba-Yah_ or what?" she said flatly, clearly unimpressed.

"Kenzi" Dyson warned through slightly gritted teeth. "It's simple," he said, turning to address the group. "We cannot stride into this battle still carrying our fears if we want to beat this man who thrives on terror. We must stand strong…together." He paused, slowly drawing his gaze to around the room before he continued; "Each of us now, will take it in turns to give voice to our fears, no-matter how shameful we believe it to be. Among friends there is acceptance. We cannot knowingly give Christophe anything with which to attack us, our focus must remain solely of saving Bo."

Breaths drew deep; the mass sharp intake echoed throughout the vaulted lair and for long seconds no one replied.

"Well, I'm all for rescuing our girl so…" shrugged the compact Russian at Dyson's side. "This was your idea so, floor's yours Wolfie!" she finished with forced cheer and a resounding smack on the Shifter's back. Dyson frowned in frustration but saw no reason he shouldn't do as he was told. He did, after all, have a point to prove.

"Alright," he growled, "my greatest fear…" he trailed off, trying to gather his courage "my greatest fear is losing you," he said finally, turning his head to face Kenzi, "that I can deal with anything that comes for us except the passage of time itself. I'm afraid of the day that you will be taken from me."

Kenzi swallowed back the lump that had suddenly risen in her throat. Safe to say that whatever she had been expecting, it wasn't this. Truth be told, she had half-believed that Dyson was only ever killing time with her. While she loved the man deeply, she knew well that there would be no real future for the two of them and that Dyson would eventually move on with his life after she was gone. It almost felt at times that he was with her out of sympathy, after he had seen for himself how terrified she was of ending up alone in Hades' Arena during their journey to the Underworld.

"Wolfie…" she said, blinking at the burning sensation behind her eyes, "I had no idea…" she squeezed his hand tightly. "I thought you just felt sorry for me. That was my fear." Her voice broke and a single stray tear sneaked through her carefully built damn to slip down her cheek.

"Well maybe we can help each other come to terms with it"

"Yes please" said Kenzi, rubbing at her face with her shoulder as her hands remained bound within the circle.

"So, who's next?" said Dyson, turning his attention back to the group who merely all glanced at each other unnerved.

"Oh, come on guys!" cried Kenzi in support.

Suddenly Dagny cast her eyes down to the tiny hand that clasped her left;

"Ethan? What are you afraid of kiddo?"

"Spiders!" giggled Charlotte on Ethan's other side before the poor boy even had a chance to reply.

"Am not!" he squawked at his sister.

"Are too!" she laughed.

"Not!" he whinged, stamping his foot hard on the wooden floorboards of the Dàl's lair. He looked up at his aunt with wide eyes; "well, maybe a li'l but that's not it…" his gaze slipped to his blue, buckled shoes while his bottom lip began to tremble. Dagny, knelt as best she could to the small boy's eye level.

"What is it little guy? C'mon, you can tell me."

"Immafraimdfdedark" he mumbled incoherently.

"What honey?"

"I'm scared of the dark" he said finally. "Sometimes at night I have to go find Charlotte 'cause I'm so scared."

"Baby, why didn't you say anything?" asked Lauren, crouching down now to face her son, her heart breaking for his tiny tear-stained face.

"I'm trying to be a big boy now like you and Ma say. Am a man soon like Uncle Dy." He said, valiantly trying to puff out his chest.

"Yes, you are baby but it's still okay to be scared sometimes. It's okay to come to me or Mommy. You're still our little boy, remember?" said Lauren. At Ethan's nod, Lauren shifted her attention to her younger daughter positioned between them. "What about you honey? What scares you the most?"

Charlotte seemed to consider the question for a moment before shrugging lightly;

"Nothing, I guess" she shrugged easily. It was true in fairness. Charlotte was her and Bo's fearless warrior. She was so much like Bo in that way, the resemblance was truly uncanny. Nothing much ever really phased her. Lauren only hoped and prayed that the girl would remain that way as grew up, especially once the teenage years hit. Still, there had to be something. No one was afraid of nothing.

"There must be something baby…" Lauren tried again.

"Well," Charlotte hesitated, "I guess I'm scared that Mommy won't come back. Real Mommy."

"Oh sweetie…" Lauren sighed, "I'm scared too. But I'm going to try so hard to bring her back home to us. We all are. I promise. You wanna help?"

Charlotte nodded and bit her lip, her eyelids growing visibly heavier. Her poor children were exhausted, despite having grabbed a nap earlier.

"That's my girl" the blonde whispered with such pride she felt her heart would burst. She reached over and placed a firm kiss on each of her children's heads before regaining her feet and arching her tired back. "Dagny? Feel like going next?"

The young Valkyrie shuffled her feet and darted her eyes around the corners of the room; "Well that's pretty easy really…I'm afraid I'll end up alone." Her gaze lowered and flew around the assembly when no response was forthcoming.

"How can you ever think that, kid?" asked Kenzi incredulously from the other side of the room. "You have a whole faemily here and you're stuck with us!"

"Yeah but…" Dagny faltered lamely.

"You don't want to end up like your mother…" interceded Lauren with the utmost delicacy. Dagny could only nod shakily before finding it within herself to continue;

"My mom waited her whole life for someone to love her. Hundreds of years across dozens of realms and nobody wanted her…then she finally has a daughter, not that she ever wanted me, I was a trick, an accident…and then she dies. I don't wanna be like her…" she finished barely audibly. She felt terrible for saying it. In many ways, her mother was her very own hero. She was brave, fierce and loyal to those she cared for but in reality, she had also become embittered and desperately lonely. Dagny could not help but dread that she too would suffer the same fate. That she would forever walk alone in the world with no one to love or be loved by in that special way.

"I'm here" piped up Saoirse suddenly who had thus far remained firmly silent through proceedings. "I'll be here Dag. No matter what."

After a soundless passage of understanding, Saoirse turned to her left-hand neighbour;

"What about you Kostas?"

"I'm Dark," he grunted, "we don't get scared."

"Kostas, this isn't going to work unless we all participate. Do you want to get your brother back or not?" growled Dyson with just enough of a threat lacing his tone to make the big man reconsider.

"Fine," the Dark fae rumbled and Saoirse beside him caught a waft of very expensive cologne as the handsome Grecian shook out his neck, "I… _worry,_ that I will be the last of my clan…if my brother is truly lost to me."

"You'll be alone too" remarked Dagny softly with just a hint of respect for the man's struggle. They may see life from different sides but here was a man whose concerns she could recognise. The man's only reply was a rather gallant nod in the blonde's direction.

"You're next honey," said Lauren on Saoirse's other side and she felt the comforting squeeze of her mother's fingers about her own.

"Well, that's pretty easy," she began with a slight quirk of her shoulder, "I'm afraid that I won't measure up. I'm afraid that I'll turn out a disappointment."

Lauren's face crumpled at her elder daughter's words;

"My sweet girl. You have had so much expectation placed on your shoulders since you were very young. You are very much your mother's daughter, a fact which gives you great strength but also brings with it a great burden. I am so, so sorry if you have ever felt that you are not good enough. I know I can't truly understand what it means to be raised a warrior like Athdara can but you are just as much my daughter too and I love you with all my heart, my darling. Never, ever doubt that."

"I love you too Mother."

Mother and daughter allowed themselves a minute to simply gaze at each other in a way they had been denied for so many years before Saoirse, ever the pragmatic one broke the peace; "it's your turn."

Lauren nodded and swallowed hard, meeting the eyes of everyone in the room in turn.

"I am afraid that I will not be able to lead you through what lies ahead. I'm not the hero," she said with a sad chuckle, "I'm not a great warrior," she continued, glancing between Dyson and Saoirse, "I'm afraid that I won't be able to keep you safe," she said, flitting her gaze between Kenzi, Dagny and the two very drowsy little ones by her side, "and I'm afraid I won't be strong enough to fight my own wife if and when the time comes."

"You are bearer of the proud name of Beattie…and I am proud to call ye my own, child." Emanated an unfamiliar voice from a dark corner of the vaulted space and wild eyes bounced rapidly from wall to wall until a figure emerged into the light.

The doctor's pupils widened instantly as she recognised the face from a blurry old sepia photograph she had carried with her for most of her adult life.

"Auntie Meg!" she exhaled reverently.

"Oh, don't gawp dear, it doesn't suit." The old woman scolded but ancient, soulful eyes twinkled with mirth. "You, my girl, take after me and my side o' the family," she continued as she stepped further towards her niece, reaching a wrinkled hand to caress the blonde woman's cheek. "You were always so forthright when you were young, Karen. What happened to that girl I used to watch?"

Lauren's features only grew wider, "you…you were?" she gulped.

"You were always my favourite. I used to watch you often. Such intelligence but ye never got a bit head with it. And you lived to help others. Even when you were a child you always took the blame for other people. You fought for the things you believed in no matter how poked fun at you for it. Tell me, is that fearless girl still in there?" Meg asked earnestly, slipping her fingers to rest above her niece's heart. Lauren shook her head, tears streaming freely down her face, feeling an absurd sense of relief that she had not felt in years. Not since the last time she had cried in her mother's arms. Suddenly someone was here to take the hurt away. For the first time in nearly thirty years, she was able to take a childlike comfort in her own family. She hadn't realised until this moment just how much she had missed having an elder matriarch to run to when she scraped her knee. She felt safe and that everything was going to be okay.

Here in front of her was a woman she had admired and tried to emulate her entire life. Here was a woman who had seen it all, done it all. She had fought for women's rights, rights she enjoyed with barely a second thought. She had not only survived war but put herself at risk in saving the lives of others. Here stood the living, breathing image of everything Lauren, herself, had dreamt of being.

Auntie Meg seemed to sense the endless whirring in the younger woman's mind so she simply smiled and reached for the blonde's hand, gently unclasping Lauren's iron-tight grip to reveal Meg's old Suffragette brooch and taking it between her fingers and turning it over in her palm.

"I was very fond of this…" she said wistfully, "why aren't you wearing it child?"

"I didn't really think I'd earned it," Lauren shrugged, "it felt wrong somehow."

"Wear it and think of me, my darling" Meg replied simply, pinning the bejewelled arc on the blonde's chest before gripping her in a secure, reassuring embrace. Absurdly, Lauren felt a well of emotion bubbling up inside of her as Meg placed a firm kiss to the corner of her jaw in the same way that her own mother used to do. _Family,_ she thought to herself. "Oh, and before I forget," she said abruptly, pulling away from Lauren to stroke away a stray hair back from Saoirse's face, _the next generation_ she considered privately, "I was brought here by someone you know" she winked.

"My mother?" Saoirse gaped in surprise. "You were with my Mum?"

"Yes, love and let me tell you, she is so proud of you." Said Auntie Meg.

"She's never told me that before," Saoirse barely whispered.

"I know, my girl. She is sorry she couldn't be here, she had other business to attend to but she asked if I would tell you that she loves you…that she's missed you but that she is so very, very proud of the young woman you have become and I must say, so am I." the old woman grinned.

XXX

"Dear god Bo, I never thought to see ye like this."

The gentle voice broke through the invisible chasm that Bo had opted to surround herself with. It wasn't the first time the Succubus had heard disembodied voices since she had been dumped in this hellhole but it _was_ the first time that she had heard _that_ particular one. The other times it had been the pleading cries of her own children, the sharp jabs of Kenzi, Dyson's harsh critique that could strip her layers of ego bare or worst of all the accusatory ire of her own beautiful wife Lauren. _What the hell was wrong with her? Why couldn't you save us Bo? You always were a loose cannon! Just a stupid little lot girl! Why's Mommy hurting us? Stop it, Mommy, please!_

"It's me Bo" came the voice again.

"So, what now? On top of everything else the voice of my wife's ex-lover comes to tell me ' _I told you so_ ' just for that extra level of crazy?" The Succubus spat.

"No Bo…" the tone was warm and soothing and entreating. Bo found herself relenting just a little at the implied kindness.

Something shifted in the air close by as the presence crept closer. The ground was slightly damp underfoot, gravel cackling under the figure's booted feet before the lightest touch fell upon Bo's thigh, forcing the stricken fae to peer fruitlessly into the gloom.

"Listen Bo, I don't have much time. I'm not… _technically,_ supposed to be here. Bo?" Athdara gripped the Succubus' shoulders tightly, grabbing as much of the other woman's focus as she could reach, "Bo, you can't believe that madman. Do you really think you could ever kill your own family, no-matter how lost you got?"

Bo paused for a moment, contemplating the Griffin's words before turning sharply away;

"And why the hell would I believe you, huh? You're just in my head! You're just another hallucination sent to torture me. I can't let myself believe you" she finished quietly, curling in on herself protectively.

"I'm not in your head Bo…I promise" Athdara pressed on gently.

"Well if you're so real then why don't you get me out of here?"

The Griffin smiled sadly though she knew Bo couldn't see it;

"Well, I can't…I'm here but only in spirit. It's a little trick Griffin's can do to find souls who cannot be reached. It's something your wife has become quite skilled at in fact." She said, with a genuine, almost proud, smile this time.

"She has?" Bo asked and Athdara could hear the hopeful edge in the question.

"Yes Bo. She's alive. They all are; Lauren, your two beautiful children, Dyson, Kenzi. They're all fine. At the moment, they're just trying to find a way to help you." But the time for reassurance had reached its end and suddenly her tone became serious; "you must realise what DeVilliers has been up to. He's banking on you driving yourself insane down her in your own grief so that he can harness your rage to unleash an army of your vanquished enemies. The power of the Underworld. He wants you so desperate and angry enough to lead them…against your friends, the colony and god-knows where else from there. He wants to use you the same way your father tried before. You cannot let that happen Bo. You _have_ to stay strong. For your children. For Lauren."

Silence stretched on between for long moments, allowing the words to sink in before Athdara took an audible breath; "y'know, you really are the best thing that's ever happened to her Bo. That woman will love you until her very last dying breath…" she said, echoing words Lauren, herself, had spoken so many years ago, and it broke Bo's heart, "don't let that be tomorrow Bo" she vaguely heard her finish before the Griffin slowly began to retreat.

"Before I go, I have one more thing to give you…" Athdara whispered, keenly aware that her time was growing short. She leaned forward, cupping the back of the younger woman's neck and gently lifted her closer whereupon she pressed her lips firmly against Bo's and began to push dazzling white energy into the Succubus' body. She forced the flow until she felt it saturate every fibre of the other woman's muscles and they each eventually broke away coughing and spluttering; Athdara falling back onto her haunches and Bo reeling off to the side.

"Just what in the hell was that?" Bo asked roughly, feeling as though her body was about to overflow with… _something._

"Energy…to help you keep on fighting." Athdara replied in that same matching tone, feeling completely sapped. Bo had needed even more than the Griffin had anticipated. This meeting was not going to last a great deal longer. "I have to go Bo, I am needed elsewhere" she said as she struggled wearily to her feet, staring into the spot where she knew the Succubus lay. It took several seconds before she heard any sort of reply;

"Please stay with me?"

The plea was tiny and childlike. It was a sound that Athdara never would have believed she would have heard coming from the strong warrior she had come to respect and it saddened her. Bo already possessed the tenfold strength of an army, even if she had forgotten that for a moment. Right now, there was a burgeoning army out there that needed all the strength it could get.

"A few minutes." She relented, coming to a rest beside where Bo sat.


	12. Chapter 12

**Well folks, I'm back again with another instalment. I'm going to try and just bash through this story now before I lose momentum. Huge thank you as always to my lovely reviewers and to those hitting the follow/favourite buttons. Joannrbb, thank you for sticking with me, I'm glad you're still with me after the long gap. Mustwe, I'm glad my little cameo hasn't put you off, I know it was likely going to get mixed reactions and a warm welcome to Tyorlean and Metaz, so chuffed you've found my stories and took the time to comment.**

 **Chapter Twelve**

For several lingering moments, like a wraith looking out onto a bygone world in which it found it no-longer belonged, she watched silently from the shadows, simply drinking in the sight that had once seemed as probable as a fairy tale springing forth from its parchment; the very real vision of a mother and daughter cruelly parted exchanging warm words and touches of comfort. There was a time where she could never have dared hope that such a thing was possible but she _had_ made it so and now at least she could take that knowledge with her, come what may. The two women she held dearest in her heart would remain safe with each other. Finally, she had achieved _something_ in her several millennia of existence.

Beside them at the oversized oak table, sat wise old Auntie Meg of whom she had actually grown rather fond during their long journey back to Earth, pouring tea for the three of them out of an ancient-looking teapot Lauren had come across that must have once belonged to Trick- with hairline cracks around the rim, a slightly leaky spout and be-speckled in pink flowers, it never ceased to amaze the blonde how much utter _rubbish_ lay still undiscovered cluttering up the departed barkeep's shelves.

Dyson, Kenzi, Dagny & Kostas had made a discreet exit some time earlier to allow the small reunion their privacy, taking the littlest members of the Dennis-Lewis household with them for a bite to eat and a nap.

 _"…I still can't believe it…"_ she heard her daughter gush, _"still, I just wish my mother had come with you."_

"Ask and ye shall receive, child."

Saoirse's head instantly whipped around at the familiar joking tone that emerged from the corner as Athdara stepped slowly into the narrow glow of the several candles that lined the cavernous space, their light hardly bright enough to reach the vaulted ceiling.

"Mother!" she cried as her face broke into a broad grin despite the tears of relief that suddenly crowded her eyes. 

Lauren watched distantly and with no little relief herself as her former lover came fully into their modest sphere of sanctuary, the tall and imposing woman seeming to almost dominate the surroundings. Still, even in the dim illumination the doctor took note of the slightly forced lightness of the Griffin's gait as her arms reached out towards their daughter. Peering closer, the shades of sleek, hard musculature remained discernible through her signature figure-hugging apparel but Lauren could just make out the marginally deeper lines etched around the other woman's eyes, the tiny marks that trailed out from the corners of her mouth and the further greying around her temples. She was still an undeniably attractive specimen, she contemplated but she had _aged._ There was a definite tiredness that marred Athdara's movements although the blonde could see she was trying valiantly to hide it for Saoirse's sake through the tight hug that the Griffin seemed disinclined to break anytime soon.

Tactfully, she turned her attention back to her tea and _tried_ her best not to overhear what may have been intended as private words between the two.

 _"I have missed you my darling girl,"_ she heard Athdara say after having pulled back from the bruising embrace, opting instead to stroke the young woman's face with gentle fingertips, _"y'know, I had almost forgotten how beautiful you are? Just exactly like your mother."_

 _"I've missed you too, mother"_ Saoirse replied gleefully.

 _"Even though I'm impossible to live with and that your Mom is so much more fun?"_ Athdara asked, probably semi-sincerely but Lauren could also hear the tingle of laughter behind the older woman's words.

 _"Even then"_ said Saoirse, enjoying the rare opportunity of giggling at her mother's expense, _"I have loved getting to know Mom and Bo and spending time with them but never think I don't love you too every bit as much"_ the young woman continued earnestly. Athdara swallowed hard and her voice faltered a touch;

 _"That's all I've ever needed to know darling. I am so pleased that you're happy here. You are surrounded by so much love, my precious girl. You are so lucky"_ she whispered, barely audible from the table but the words spoken next still reached out their tendrils to squeeze around the doctor's heart, _"I know I haven't said enough, I know I've had to be hard on you over the years…"_ she trailed off, _"but I am so proud of the woman you have become. My warrior. Never forget, your mother loves you with everything she is. Promise me that, huh?"_ she finished lightly, gripping Saoirse's shoulders playfully.

 _"Of course,"_ said Saoirse blithely, _"I love you Mum."_

 _"Good, now that we have that settled, would you allow your old Mum to fight beside you? Warrior to warrior?"_

 _"Really?"_ Saoirse bounced on the balls of her feet.

 _"I would be honoured to fight alongside my daughter if she allows it and of course, your other mother. This is her fight."_ She finished with a subtle wink in the blonde's direction.

Lauren's brow furrowed. Perhaps with her daughter's youth and inexperience she just wasn't quite picking up on the subtle clues behind Athdara's speech but something was wrong. Slyly, she raised her gaze to meet that of her Auntie Meg's who had been busying herself by pottering around with the tea things and setting a fresh brew. The single response of a raised eyebrow was less than helpful; it was clear that Meg knew more than she was letting on but was choosing to keep her own council.

As soon as Saoirse had bounded off up the stairs to join the others at Meg's insistence that she too could do with putting something substantial in her stomach Lauren did nothing to mask her grimace at the heavy way Athdara lurched forward to lean against the table beside her, folding her arms fast against her middle. Something was _desperately_ wrong.

"How is Bo?" she asked quietly. "I know that's where you've been 'Dara. I know you." She said simply at the surprised quirk of Athdara's eyebrow.

"She's holding on," she nodded, "for you."

Lauren cast her a dubious sideways glance;

"What aren't you telling me?"

Athdara chuckled. Lauren was never a fool but further still, she seemed to always have an uncanny knack of seeing right through her in a way in which no one else had ever been capable. She sighed, seeing no need to spare her the truth;

"It's not good Laur'…I won't lie to you. But, she's strong and she knows she has you to live for now. She'll hold on."

"Christophe told her we were dead, didn't he?" she asked, though it was really more of a statement of a fact she already knew to be true. "You helped her." She said, not waiting for a reply, "and you gave her too much." She said after a pause, her hand coming to an easy rest atop Athdara's knee as she examined the other woman's slumped posture, something that was anathema to the Griffin's usually proud, erect stance. "I've never seen you like this."

The griffin simple remained silent. She knew the doctor's oversized brain had already worked out that something was amiss but neither did she need to know the full story. She had gotten herself into this fix and she would take the consequences.

"'Dara, what did you do?" the blonde asked firmly.

"What I had to." Athdara replied gruffly. Lauren took a moment to gather herself;

"I thought you said you couldn't interfere. That you wouldn't come back here. That's why they sent Saoirse here instead." She watched curiously as Athdara's larynx bobbed up and down in its casing a few times as the other woman clearly struggled to come up with a response that was both honest but pleasingly vague as well.

"I couldn't just sit back and let the two of you go through this and do nothing. As strong as our daughter is, she has not the experience to guide you through this as the Elder's hoped. Yet they would rather risk the destruction of not only herself but possibly the colony and maybe even the world at large than admit they made an error in judgement." She stared down at her booted feet as she finally unfolded her arms to press her hands hard into the wooden surface currently supporting her weight.

"'Dara, what did you agree to?" Lauren asked cautiously, the fear that rose sharply at the back of her making her uncertain as to whether or not she truly wanted the answer.

"I'm the fly in the ointment Lauren. While I exist in this realm or the other, I will always be a threat, or a hindrance," she paused, finally meeting the blonde's gaze, "and Saoirse will never have the chance to thrive on her own power. So, I made a bargain with the Elders…and then I broke the rules by going to see Bo," she chuckled mirthlessly, "in short, I will be _dealt with_ as soon as this is over. For now, you have my sword at your disposal." She said before coming to a kneel in front of the woman she had pledged her life to long ago, unsheathing a sword from some hidden scabbard behind her back.

"I come to you Karen Beattie, not as a Griffin or a Warrior but simply with what remains of my honour. All that I have left is yours to do with as you wish. I will fight and if necessary, die at your side as little more than a human if you will allow it, dearest Lady. This sword I have carried with me these three thousand years is yours, to do with as thy will." She said, the weapon glinting in the low light where the scarred blade had been split that terrible day when Athdara had given up her very soul for a mere mortal before being re-forged anew when she had been permitted to reclaim her wings. The Griffin kissed the tip of the rounded pommel before offering up the hilt for Lauren's grasp. But Lauren shook her head and instead joined Athdara on her knees;

"You owe me nothing 'Dara, you owe us nothing. I was wrong to come to you before." Athdara made to shake her head but the blonde gripped her chin firmly, "You don't have to fight for me but I accept your sword on behalf of our daughter. How about that?"

"I think that is a very worthy cause…and I may have a plan if you'd like to hear it."

XXX

Bo fought to hold on in the darkness. She had not broken as quickly as Christophe had gambled on though for the life of him, he could not understand why! The last time he had popped his head in on his prisoner it had appeared only a matter of time before that vast darkness within was set to burst forth. The Succubus had rolled listlessly from side to side against the agony of sorrow and guilt and all those other lovely things that concocted to make a powerful Queen go supernova.

 _Dammit, where had it all gone wrong!_

He slapped his palm hard against the damp brick wall, flicking the little specks of musty dirt off his fingers, sneering at the pathetic creature that crumpled before him in the corner, blinking painfully in the bright torchlight he flashed in her face. Her face looked pale as the moon in the abruptly stark white beam. He came to a halt directly in front of her and dropped to a squat, careful not to get any mildew from the squalid floor on his Armani pants.

"Why haven't you given up yet?" he said, the particular way he was eyeing her reminding Bo of the look Lauren would get when she was examining a particularly icky specimen; a mixture of utter fascination and contemptible frustration. "Either I have overestimated your love of your own family or I have underestimated your power," he continued scornfully, "while I find the former unlikely given the exquisiteness of your fear when I tasted you," he said, leaning forward to trace his tongue sickeningly around the shell of the Succubus' ear, making Bo squirm, "but I find the latter impossible."

"They're not dead, I didn't kill them you jackass!" Spat Bo, absurdly pleased at the brief look of shock that traced across the man's face. _Little victories,_ as Lauren would say.

"Oh?" he replied, regaining his composure, "you so sure about that?"

"Oh yeah, bigshot, you've lost!" She laughed, "I'm not afraid of you anymore."

"And how exactly did you come by this information?" he asked and Bo could sense the mask slipping and she knew she still had to be careful. This could still turn into Christophe's flashpoint but neither could she quite bring herself to stop from mentally rubbing her hands together in glee. "Not that it matters anymore. You see, I don't just feed off of fear. I can instil it too Bo, did you know that?" he asked lightly, "you and I still have a lot of fun left, Succubus."

The without another word he clapped his hands to either side of Bo's head, wild electricity shooting in great bolts through her skull as images flooded her mind. Images from her own nightmares. Images that she had terrorised herself with for years that he had dug up from the dark recesses of her brain. One after the other they poured in searing her in so much pain that she screamed and writhed but still he would not let go. His palms were stuck fast against her temples as his laughter thundered maniacally around the cell, lit up sparks of white-blue lightning.

"You still don't get it Bo, do you? But you will…you're mine…"

 **Alright, I know that it's turned into a little bigger of a cameo than I intended but I reckon Lauren needs all the help she can get…and Athdara can bring even more help with her, can't she?**


End file.
